Waiting to Exhale
by AppleDanish
Summary: Danny is an abused, mistreated servant boy who currently works for Vlad, King of the Masters' estate. After the hell he's been through, his life just doesn't seem to get any better. That changes when he meets the king's niece... DxS *discontinued*
1. Prologue

**Waiting to Exhale**

**By DannyTimmygirl327**

**A/N: I know everyone's heard of the movie title, right? Well, this is nothing like the movie, of course. No, this is about a boy, by the name of Daniel, who is a lowly servant and is hurt and abused by his master, Vlad. Unable to leave or even think about running away, Daniel's life isn't to be pitied on; no, he was born this way. With both his parents gone and nowhere to go, Daniel thought his life would turn for the better when the King of the royal palace in an unknown dimension of the world, Vlad Masters adopts him. But as soon as he's told what his duty was, he never believed that it was true. For years, Daniel's been working for him, day and night, with barely any rest, food or good health. When Vlad feels Daniel's done something wrong, he beats him continuously until the boy is broken and has finally learned his lesson. From then on, it was an everyday incident.**

**But a few months later, Vlad's niece, Samantha, comes for a visit with her parents. While the relatives spoke, Samantha sees Daniel, working in the kitchen. Like looking into a glass mirror, she sees him as the most beautiful boy she had ever laid eyes on. But when her uncle tells her about him, she becomes curious and wants to know even more. One day, she secretly asks him to meet her in his room and gives him the best hospitality he could ever hope for. But when a serious outbreak of war hits and their newly found friendship is slowly being torn apart by Vlad, can the two both save their homeland and still be together, or will everything fall apart? **

**Wow, that was a long summary XD. Okay, the pairing is, of course, DxS throughout most of the story and its rated T for violence, abuse, and some language. Also, some movie-like romance, Y'know… the ones with the pg-13 romance in it? Well, enjoy, read, review and everything! I don't own Danny Phantom or any of the show's characters. But I may own a few of the characters that I create. :D But some material may not be appropriate for children and teens under 14-15 (yeah, there's a part where Danny tells Sam about his past and mentions the horrible things Alyssa's husband did to him when she wasn't home that made him 'unclean'. If you don't know what 'unclean' means, then….. Don't know what to tell ya. :-( **

**Prologue: Fallen (Note: this is the only part of the story that will be in Danny's POV. Everything else will just be in third person. Also, throughout the entire story, Danny will refer to Vlad as 'Master' because that's what he must think of him as.)**

I've never felt any kind of happiness in my heart.

I've never even felt joy or compassion in my soul.

It's like… something died inside me; something that may never return.

I'm sorry, and I've said those words about a million times in my life, but I never introduced myself. Perhaps, I shouldn't even bother, but I'll tell you anyway. After all, I'm just another wasted breath in this world, right?

My name is Daniel. Daniel James, in fact. No, I do not have a last name. If I did, I wouldn't subject myself to inferiority of my own existence, would I?

I think I'm 14 years old, but I'm not sure. I do not have a birthday, for it's a forbidden mention; you can't even say the date without half committing suicide to yourself in the process. But, if you should know, then so be it, but I warned you and tried to save you the trouble.

I'm probable that my birth date is April 14th, nineteen something. I was never told what year, exactly.

My life isn't like Hell, that'd be an understatement. I haven't been given permission to speak, but I'm soiling the walls and floors of my room with this story by using my own blood as ink and my fingers are the pen.

Wait- I'm running low- hold on, I'll just dip my hand in some on my arm. There we go.

So, anyway, I'm a lowly servant, or so my master calls me. I work for him and anyone accompanying him, that's it. I am to do what I'm told and if I screw something up… well, I know one thing- no food tonight, that's for sure. But, I don't need much, so what's it matter? After all, my previous bruises and injuries are numbed by the newer ones. By now, the blood from those injuries were either washed off or dried up by now.

Don't tell me that my mother doesn't allow this, because both my parents are gone. Yeah, they died in a fire and I was their only hope of the last whatever-my-last-name-was to carry on. I had a sister, but I have no idea where she is now. I just hope that she's not gone like the rest of them are.

I've been to about 20 foster homes. Not one of them wanted me. Probably because I was useless. One after another they misused me, discarded me and hurt me.

My first foster home has the kindest lady who ever lived. Her name was Alyssa Chapelton, but she preferred me to call her mother.

Anyway, she would always care for me. She fed me, washed me, tended to me when I was sick, helped me with my schoolwork, even tucked me in at night.

Yeah, she was a true angel from Heaven.

But her husband, yes, her husband.

He was a true bastard from Hell.

Little did she know, but when she'd go out and run errands for only a little while, he'd stay and 'take care of me'. Then, behind closed doors, he did the most ruthless, vile and terrible things to me both physically and mentally that I can't even repeat them.

Because of him, I am immune to pain.

Because of him, I was afraid of everyone and everything that day.

Because of him, I'm no longer 'clean', so to speak.

Because of him, I never saw Alyssa again.

Afterwards, they all hurt me. One by one, home by home, they didn't treat me like he did, but they hurt me bad.

They made my outlook on the world worse than what it really is.

Wow…. I've said more than 1,000 words. More than I'll ever speak again.

But one thing for sure: there's absolutely no proof of me loving every again.

I mean, I don't even know what the hell love means. I thought I did, but…. that was forever ago.

Shit, I'm running low again? Well, here we go again….

Do you know how are it is to write on the wall with nothing but your left hand and your own blood? Well, no one's had to go through what I did, so I guess not.

Wait- there's another reason why Master hates me so much… it's because I'm left-handed.

The people in this kingdom are very clichéd. They like their people with certain hair, eyes and body structure. Not to mention clothing and lifestyle has to be in order.

Well, my ebony black hair may have been in place, but my baby blue eyes, my thin, pathetic exterior, pale complexion and ability to write with only my left hand are extremely out of place.

I never asked for this. I wasn't born to be someone's freakin' servant. I wasn't created to obey anyone I didn't even care for. I wasn't put on this earth for that purpose.

So… why am I here?

Why am I writing my entire life's story on a wall with my bloodied hands?

Why am I obeying and doing everything for this man if I don't even care for him?

All I ask is- why?

"Daniel! Get the hell out here and clean the floor!" I heard master scream. I sighed and quickly wrote the rest of my prodigy on the wall.

I don't have much time. Whoever finds this: please don't because I've been through too much and finding me will make your life be the living hell I'm endearing.

I stood from the room and turned to the door, staring at my own writing. I closed the door behind me and locked it. I walked towards the kitchen, accidentally scratching a nail on my bare feet. I saw master in the kitchen, standing on the perfectly shiny floor. It was so shiny, in fact, that I could see my reflection: a pale, broken teenage boy, in serious need of a haircut and filthy, almost dingy skin. My clothing was nothing more than mere rags and the whites of my eyes were pink from fatigue.

"Y-yes, master?" I whispered, cupping my hands together to show him gratitude. I didn't understand why he wanted me to clean the floor when it was practically a perfect mirror.

Vlad stared at me for a moment before he did the unthinkable. He took a deep breath and right at my feet, spat on the floor. "That's why." He hissed with a satisfied smirk. He tossed me the mop and bucket filled with water. "Clean it and make this place spotless. Besides, we have company in a few hours," With that, Master left me alone.

I sighed and walked over to the kitchen sink, grabbing a dirty dishwashing rag and a bar of soap. I threw both in the bucket and got down on my knees. Just like every other day, I was scrubbing something else that didn't need to be cleaned, but I continue to play over and over in my mind again: _"Thank God he's not Mr. Chapelton…" _ Hey, he may beat me over and over again until I almost bleed to death, but Master never did what he did to me….

My God, the first man that I ever lived with whom I was to call 'father' because I loved Alyssa like my 'mother'….

That damn, no good bastard…. He did the unspeakable.

He freakin' raped me.

Yes, you heard it right.

He did this to me.

I died that day.

I died inside…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A few hours later, the doorbell rang. At the time, I was cleaning the chimney, choking and coughing on black soot. By the time I was finished, my entire body was charcoal black. I wiped away the excessive dust. "Daniel! Clean yourself up, you worthless piece of crap! Our guests are here and I don't wanna see you looking like… yourself. Then, get the hell out here!" Master screamed from the hallway.

I put down the duster and walked carefully down to my room. I opened the door and closed it, seeing fresh clean clothes on the floor near my bed. I was about to head to the bathroom with my clothes, when I spotted the empty wall. I paused for a second, then wiped two of my fingers on an open gash followed by fresh soot and wrote on dark letters:

'Murder on my soul.'

I wiped my fingers on my pants, picked up my clothes and locked the door, walking to the bathroom to freshen up.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"It's very difficult to find good help these days," I heard Master say from the dining room. I was polishing the windows in the living room, feeling the smell of the polish burn my eyes and nose. I was about to cough, but it'd be rude to interrupt Master's meeting. Besides, his instructions were clear: pretend you're not here.

I finally finished the polishing and carefully walked through the kitchen.

"Well, who do we have here?" A voice asked in an oddly cheerful manner. I looked up, seeing a large man with a bright and friendly smile on his face. His navy blue eyes gleamed with excitement, almost as if he expected me to answer.

"He's just the help here." Master waved me off and was about to continue his conversation when the man asked me again:

"What's your name, son?"

I was truly amazed. No one ever called me 'son' before. In fact, the only ones who called me other than my name are my real mother and Alyssa. My mother called me 'sweetie' and 'her little Danny' and Alyssa called me 'sweetheart' and 'joy from above' but that was it. No other man called me 'son' before. It felt strange, yet oddly good.

"Permission to speak, Master?" I whispered.

He sighed angrily and nodded.

"My name's…. Daniel. Daniel James, in fact." I replied, hoping the man didn't take me for weak and pathetic just like the rest of Master's visitors always did.

"Well, my name's Jack, Jack Fenton, but call me whatever, just don't call me big!" He let out a large chuckle that was so heartfelt, it was genuine.

I gave him a small smile as he shook my hand. I could feel Master's dark, Sapphire eyes glare upon me, but I didn't let myself be afraid for just this once.

"Well, Daniel, it seems like you're busy, so I'll leave you to your work." Jack said, patting me on the back. As he stood up, I wanted to beg, to plead him to take me wherever he was going because I was willing to leave with a stranger that I just met. Hell, he could be a mass murderer and I wouldn't care.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," I called after him when he reached the door. Jack tipped his hat to me and kept the same sweet smile placed on his lips. He gave Master a handshake goodbye and exited the home.

As soon as Jack left, I ran for it. I knew he was after me, just because I disobeyed him. He told me to pretend I wasn't here and I couldn't even do that right.

I heard his boots pounding the floor, almost right on my heels. I forced my bare feet to run as fast as they could, not caring if they began to bleed and leave bloody footprints on the wooden floor. I'd have to clean it later, but what's the difference? I clean everything anyway.

I swung around a corner and tried to duck into the room, but I knew I wouldn't be fast enough so I pushed myself even further. My arms were pumping air and my feet were dying away, but I ran on.

"Damn it, Daniel! Get the hell back here, you filth!" Master shouted out. He grabbed at my shirt collar but he wasn't fast enough. I was younger and stronger.

Suddenly, I skidded on a rug and fell to the ground. Master grabbed me by my arm and twisted it behind my back so hard; I let out a pained cry. He slammed me into the wall so hard that I couldn't retain any air in my chest. I gasped and closed my eyes, feeling the enduring pain he was about to inflict on me.

He clutched his hand on my back. I swear, I felt his fingernails trying to pin into me, they stung so badly.

"Listen and listen well, if you ever disobey me again, I'll hurt you so bad, that you'll wish you were dead. Understand?" He hissed, his words being etched into my mind. I nodded, but that wasn't good enough for the man. Instead of releasing me, he turned me around and pinned my arms down. All of a sudden…

I screamed.

I had a sudden flashback of what Mr. Chapelton did to me. He grabbed me, punched me so hard in the chest that my fragile 4-year-old body went limp and dragged me into the bedroom. Then, he tossed me onto the bed, pinned my arms down-

And I screamed a high pitched scream, just like a little kid would do.

"Daniel! What-" Master was puzzled. Why was I screaming? He didn't know about my painful past. He didn't know what happened to me.

"Please! Don't! Don't do it again! I never wanted this! LET ME GO!" I screamed so loud, that I was thrashing against him. He was so afraid, in fact, that he let me go and I fell. I began crying.

Master slowly left the room. Before he left, he whispered, "Clean the floor later. I don't want blood staining the wood."

I cried softly, drowning in my own sorrow.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Well…. You think you know me, right?

You're damn wrong.

I've been through everything known to man:

I've been raped at a young age,

I've tried to commit suicide when I was seven,

I've been beaten ever since my parents died,

I've been in 20 foster homes and never been adopted by a real loving family,

I've never even held money in my hands, I'm so poor,

I've almost committed murder when I was nine on my foster mother,

I've been cut with knives, burned with matches and shot with guns,

I've almost starved to death days on end,

I've not been asleep for more than four hours at a time,

I've received cuts and bruises on every inch of my body,

I've stolen from stores and cheated in school,

I've been in fights with people three times my size,

I've almost been murdered,

I've broken almost every bone in my body,

I've almost died in a fire,

I've almost died period,

And finally, I've never really been loved for nine years in my life nor did I choose to love again.

My name is Daniel James.

I'm fourteen years old.

And I've been through the worst possible hell in the world.

**A/N: …wow. I mean… wow. I can't believe I wrote that. I mean, it's a start, right? Please don't flame, just good criticism. Again- major DxS, but not right now. It comes in later chapters, about chapter 5 or 6. But…. remember: read and review, please! :D By the way, even though Danny's been through torture like this, he doesn't know one thing: someone's still alive in his family can't reveal until later chapters! But, you'll know. See you guys on my next update! I wrote this on, like, Tuesday or Monday, but didn't finish until Friday. If I don't get a good report card, I really won't be updating for a while ; so, catch me before then! (BTW- The person that he meets isn't his father, if you're thinking about Jack, but someone else. No other hint.) **

**Danny: "Hey, why am I being tortured in your stories?? I thought you loved me!"**

**Me: "I do! I just like… writing tragic love stories about you and Sam!"**

**Danny: "Uh…. blushes**

**Me: "Ha! You like her, don't you?"**

**Danny: "I never said that!"**

**Me: "You're blushing! :D"**

**Danny: "Aw, darn."**


	2. Chapter One: Give Me Strength

**Chapter One: Give me Strength to make me weak**

**Okay, I'm trying to write these as close together as possible, so here's chapter one! Remember, it's no longer in Danny's POV. Also, I'm gonna refer to Danny as 'Daniel' for the first few chapters. He doesn't use 'Danny' until he meets Sam later on. Thanks to: musiclover9419, dannyp3995, YouHitMyHeart101, Luiz4200, and Kagome51. I love you guys!! Now, to the story! –charge-!**

**Edit: PLEASE DO NOT READ THE FIRST UPDATE!! CHAPTER ONE WAS BEING STUPID SO I HAD TO REPLACE IT!! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING UPDATE! THANK YOU! I'LL STOP SHOUTING! XD**

"Filthy child! Get out here, now!" Vlad shouted from the dining room. It was a few hours ago that Daniel had his nervous breakdown. Ever since, he managed to leave him alone for a few hours, but his so-called 'break' was over.

Daniel slowly walked into the room, still in his rags and his hair uncombed. His bleak, baby blue orbs dully stared back at him. "Y-yes, M-master?" He whimpered, his fragile body shaking. Vlad grabbed him by the shoulder and trusted him towards the table. Daniel fell on the edge and quickly sat in the chair. Unsure of what he was to do, he looked up at Vlad with curious eyes. "What shall I acquire for you, Master, sir?" He asked in the most confident, loyal voice he could muster up.

Vlad slowly walked over to the counter, unsure of giving the child anything at this point. "Even though it's was your wrong to disobey me," Daniel winced at the memory of earlier. "I will give you dinner." He shoved the tray of food in front of Daniel and commanded, "Eat. Like you mean it."

Daniel gave the small bowl of rice, two links of sausages and a dry piece of bread a longing glance and suddenly shoved his hands and face into the food. He couldn't even bear to think about what a pathetic fool he looked like, chomping on the sausages and cupping the rice in his mouth. But how could he reject it? After all, he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and that wasn't much.

"You disgust me," Vlad whispered, with a sickened glare on his face and a sneer pursed upon his lips. He took his hand and slapped the bowl of rice away from Daniel onto the floor. "Since you're so hungry, I'd figure you wouldn't mind a little… dirt, now would you?" He walked over to the other side, knelt over to Daniel's eye level and said, "Are you still hungry?"

Daniel nodded, sloppily wiping away the remaining rice from his face.

Suddenly, Vlad pulled him by the shirt collar and slammed the side of his face to the floor. "Now, if you're so hungry, I want you to eat it- all of it. Lick the floor, anything to show how… _hungry_ you are." He demanded.

Daniel hesitated, feeling that he was being pushed into eating. He didn't want to appear as desperate as he really was. He looked into Vlad's cold, Sapphire eyes which burned into his and looked at the fallen food once again. He slowly pulled his arm from his side and scooped up some of the rice and stuffed it into his mouth, feeling the taste indulge his lips. "Eat, damn it!" Vlad roared, his face twisted in frustration. Daniel scurried over to the bowl and dug his face into the rice, rapidly licking the floor clean. Salty tears fell into the food and he continued gulping up tears as he kept eating.

Finally, Vlad pulled him to his feet and pushed Daniel roughly from the room. "You're pathetic, worthless, broken thing. I could give you anything and you'd eat it. No wonder your parents died; they probably wanted to get away from you-" But he was interrupted by Daniel, who finally lost it. "Why the hell do you treat me this way?!" He screamed, his face flustered red and tears falling from his eyes. Vlad stood surprised then hissed, "What did you say?"

"Why the hell do you treat me this way!? Why the hell am I nothing?? I'm worthless in your eyes but you're full of shit, yourself!! YOU JUST DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT IT!!" He cried out, knowing he'd be beaten tonight.

Vlad shook his head and sighed. "Ah, Daniel, you just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Daniel's eyes widened. He bolted out of the room at light speed, his bare feet becoming warmer as he reached outside. He ran around the fountain and into the woods, feeling Vlad's presence behind him. "Daniel, I will catch you dead or alive! And when I do, there sure as hell won't be an alive part to it!" Daniel ran even faster, dodging trees and branches that got in his way. He jumped rocks, fallen wood, even fell once, but he kept going.

"_Where am I even going?" _he whispered to himself. He ran so fast, so hard that he could feel the blood rapidly pumping in his legs and the feeling in his feet becoming numb.

"DANIEL!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Daniel never looked back. If feared that if he did, he'd lose his concentration and be captured. He ducked behind a tree and tried to keep as quiet as possible. He heard Vlad slowly walking towards the area, his eyes scanning the trees. "Oh, Danny…" He winced at his nickname being called but said nothing. "I promise that if you come out, then I won't beat you until you die… I'll just half kill you instead!" He chuckled lightly, knowing where Daniel was hiding.

He was about to run off once again when Vlad grabbed him by the neck. "Gotcha." He whispered, brushing his lips against Daniel's ear. He was about to scream, when he covered his mouth with his hand. "Now Daniel, you don't want to cause a… scene, do you?" He said, dragging him along. Daniel tried kicking and screaming, but he was caught. He fell limp and closed his eyes.

Vlad dragged him all the way through the kitchen to an empty room. He tossed Daniel onto the floor and slammed the door shut. "Now, you little bitch, this room is sound proof so no one will suspect a thing. And there's no way you can escape from me, so don't even try it." He took out a pocketknife and walked towards him. Daniel scooted back, breathing heavily and shouting, "What are you gonna do to me??" Vlad pulled out a blade first, then….

A cigarette lighter.

Daniel's eyes grew twice their normal size. It wasn't the blade, it was the lighter. A few years ago, he was in a foster home where his foster parents used to burn him with lighters, matches, irons, anything hot they could think of. From then on, Daniel was always afraid of any kind of fire. He couldn't even open the oven door without panicking from the heat.

"No…. please…. Don't do this…" He pleaded, pressing his body against the wall. Vlad stretched his arm out, the tiny fire blazing dangerously.

"I'm gonna count to three…"

"No…."

"One…"

"Master…. You can't do this…! You can't!"

"Two…."

"I'm begging you!"

"Three."

Vlad switched the blaze at him and swiped Daniel in the chest. He cried out in pain, the fire burning his chest.

"Had enough?"

"Master! STOP!!" He yelled. He couldn't handle it any further. He wanted the pain to stop. Vlad smirked and grabbed the switch. He turned it off and said, "Very well, I'll beat some sense into you!" He picked Daniel up and slammed him into the concrete wall. He punched him hard in the stomach, causing Daniel to jolt forward. He let out a pained cry and let his head fall. "For running away," He punched Daniel hard in the face, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He thought he could take it, so he did.

"For disobeying me," Vlad turned him around and slit him in the back with his blade. He was carving something into his skin. Daniel contained a muffled cry as the words etched into his skin and soul. The words read: _Whether or not I murder you, you belong to me- forever. _

"And for showing yourself, you get the worst beating I can think of." He twisted his arm back so hard, there was a cracking noise followed by it. Daniel screamed again, feeling pretty sure that his arm was broken. He knew he wouldn't be able to do anything with it for a long time.

"Think that hurt? Well, this is gonna hurt like hell!" Vlad punched him in the chest, this time putting more pressure into it. Suddenly, blood spewed everywhere, even on him. Daniel was basically choking on his own blood. "It hurts…" He whimpered, shaking and coughing up more dark blood. Vlad finally released him. Daniel crumpled onto the floor, the blood ceasing to a stop. He kicked him in the stomach, causing Daniel to curl up into a ball. He kicked him a few more times, in the face, back and the chest and closed the door shut.

Daniel silently cried, his sobs caught in his throat. He continued to cough, blood flowing from his nose and lips. He could barely breathe, he was racked with so much pain. He shook violently, with every muscle, every bone, every vein in his body was broken. His eyes couldn't see straight he was so hurt.

"Release my soul… and kill me now." He whispered, his eyes slowly closing into a deep sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A few hours later, Daniel slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in a large bedroom, lying in a large bed itself. "Where am I?" He mumbled. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his back kept him from moving any further. He let out a pained cry and fell back onto the bed, closing his eyes and sighing. It was strange that he was all bandaged up and taken care of, but the even creepier part was that he was in a bed…. All he had before was a blanket and a filthy pillow.

"I see you're awake, Daniel," A familiar voice hissed through the doorway. Daniel flinched when he saw Vlad walk into the room, afraid that any more pain he'd inflict on him would be worse than before, if that was even possible. "Please… don't hurt me…" He whispered, pulling the blankets over his body for protection. "I won't hurt you, child," He replied, studying him for a moment. He walked to the other side of him and placed his hand over his forehead. Daniel whined in response, the smallest touch of the man questioning his sense of protection and security.

"Relax, dear boy, I'm only checking your temperature." He said, removing his hand from his forehead. He walked away, eyeing him one last time. "Make sure you polish the wooden furniture when you heal." With that, he left.

Daniel pulled up the sheets, seeing bandages on his chest, legs, and feet. He pulled his sleeve down, eyeing the bandages on his arms and hands. "Why would he help me?" He thought, curious at why.

Suddenly, he heard a crash, followed by a scream. Daniel hopped out of the bed and ran to the direction of the noise, not even caring about the pain in his body. "Damn…" He whispered, shaking off the feeling. He ran into the living room, seeing Vlad standing in front of the window, holding his wrist. The window had a large hole followed by many cracks. "Shit!!" He cried out, his hand bleeding and pricked with blood.

Daniel slowly walked over to him, unsure of what was happening. "M-master? A-are you okay?" He stumbled, easing his body over to him.

"Boy! What the hell are you doing here??" Vlad shouted, throwing a piece of glass at him. Daniel yelped and narrowly avoided the attack. "I was just wondering… what happened…?"

Vlad sighed and said, "I was just… angry, that's all. Get back to bed, you're hurt," He simply brushed the glass from his hand, trying not to wince in pain.

Daniel stared at him for a moment. What the hell was he, bipolar? He wondered.

"I said go!" He cried out, throwing another piece of glass. This time, it was thicker than the last. It hit Daniel square in the eye, causing him to cry out in pain. He fell to his knees, cupping his now bleeding eye in his hands.

Vlad ran to his side and helped him up. "Get away from me!" Daniel cried, his tears mixing with blood. He ran from the room into the bathroom. He locked the door and quickly turned on the faucet, splashing water in his eye. The blood washed down the drain, his eye, strangely enough, carefully healing.

"What the-" he said in wonder. He turned off the faucet and left the bathroom.

About 20 minutes later, his injuries almost healed. Daniel sat in the room, confused and lost. He looked at his once damaged chest in the mirror, seeing only faint scratches and scars on his skin.

"What's happening to me?" He mumbled, looking at himself. He could barely recognize his face. All he saw was a broken boy with pale, fragile skin, a weak, scrawny exterior, black messy hair covering part of his eyes, sullen baby blue eyes. His shirt was ripped and dirty and his pants- or shorts, as he called it- were filled with holes. His feet, which have never worn shoes for as long as he could remember, were blackened with dirt.

"It's such a realization when you can't even look at yourself." Daniel hissed, curling his lips in disgust at his image. His physical being was enough to commit suicide.

"Damn. I'm a mess."

**-Takes a deep breath- thank goodness I'm done!! I finished chapter one! W00t! does a little dance Hell yeah! Now I can do chapter two! Well, read and review! Oh, thanks to all who reviewed again! I love you all!! :D I'll update by…. Friday or Saturday.**


	3. Chapter Two: Curiosity

**Chapter two: Curiosity**

**The last time I ever got so many reviews was in Baby Boy. I love you guys! –hugs- Thanks to: KatrinaKaiba, Kagome51, musiclover9419, PhantomFreak0301, Luiz4200. You guys are great! Now, here's what you've been waiting for: chapter two! Enjoy! (this is when Daniel gets the courage to ask Vlad about his healing abilities. Heh, you'll be kinda surprised- or not! Whatever :) )**

The next day, Daniel slowly opened his eyes to what was a beautiful Saturday morning. He was still in the bed Vlad left for him the night before. He rubbed his eyes and carefully made his way out of the bed. He pushed the blankets from his body and sat there, trying to convince himself to tell Vlad about his sudden healing abilities.

"Maybe I should just handle this on my own…" He thought, taking a random glance outside the window. He could barely think straight; questions and thoughts clouding his mind. How was he supposed to explain this to Vlad: 'Hey, guess what, Master? I can heal myself so whenever you hurt me, I just get better!'

I mean, what the hell was he thinking, asking Vlad about that? It almost seemed like another form of torture, even suicide, maybe.

Daniel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He rose from the bed and made his way to the parlor, where Vlad was always enjoying a cup of tea in the morning.

He carefully made his way there, trying his best not to damage himself even worse than he already was. He heard soft music coming from the room. As he grew closer, he recognized the song as 'Savin' Me', by Nickelback. He never thought Master was into Alternative rock. He walked into the doorway and knocked softly on its frame.

Vlad glanced up from the newspaper and gave him a small smirk. "Why, hello there, Daniel. What brings you here?" He asked, turning his chair around to face him. Daniel stared at him for a moment before whispering, "Do you know what's happening to me?" He asked. He pulled up his shirt just a little, showing him his healed chest with only a few scars where the injuries were yesterday. Vlad chuckled and stood up. "Ah, Daniel, I knew you'd be wondering about this sudden… change, so to speak."

Daniel's eyes widened. He had a feeling that Vlad was up to no good. After all, why else would he have helped him yesterday?

"What did you do??" He cried out, the frustration building up in his chest. He couldn't take these mind games Vlad was playing with him any longer. All he wanted was an answer, not this confusing I'll-tell-you-when-the-time-is-right kind of shit. He was sick of that.

"Daniel, be patient." Was all that Vlad said.

And that, at the least, set him over the edge.

Without thinking, Daniel ran up to him, grabbed Vlad by the collar of his shirt and shouted, "Can't you just give me the damn straight-up answer?!?"

Vlad was taken aback by this, but shook his head. "You want to know so badly?" He pushed him off and hissed, "Watch this."

Suddenly, he punched Daniel in his left eye, causing him to cry out in pain. "Wha-" He started to protest when Vlad covered his mouth with his hand and dragged him to the bathroom. He pushed him in front of the mirror. "Take a look at yourself, Daniel! Look at your eye!" He screamed, forcing the boy to stare at his own broken image that disgusted him the day before. He stared at himself, and then right before his very eyes, saw the bruised, blackened eye healing. Then, it was back to normal again.

"How?" He simply whispered, touching his eye in awe.

Vlad dragged him back into the parlor and sat him down. He too took a seat in front of him and sighed. "Daniel, I gave you those healing abilities, just after you passed out yesterday. Do you know why?"

He shook his head.

"It's so that no one will know. They'll just see it as a… accident, so to speak. Besides, Daniel, you can't possibly think you were gifted with this, right?" He explained, eyeing him a little longer. Daniel shook his head. He was right; he couldn't be gifted with anything this pleasant. He could get hurt and never have to feel it again. That was pure fortune, and he knew he didn't have any kind of fortune.

He had nothing.

"I injected a solution into your bloodstream. It's the same solution that infected me 20 years ago… by accident. While my powers are still growing, yours are just beginning to develop. Sometimes, you'll feel like hell. Sometimes, you'll want to die. But if you don't use your powers carefully, they'll eat you from the inside out." Vlad explained, giving him a dark smirk.

"W-what are these… powers?" Daniel asked, obviously confused. Did he mean superpowers, in general? Or something else…?

He feared it was the something else.

"Ghost powers." He simply responded, sipping his tea in silence.

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

Vlad chuckled at the boy's confused expression on his face. "You've never heard of ghosts? Really, Daniel, what have you learned in your life, other than that you're a pathetic fool?"

He really couldn't say anything to that. All he learned in his life that he was worthless, pathetic, broken and soulless. He had no reason to even exist, come to think of it. He did learn how to read and write, but seeing that he couldn't read a book passed 200 pages and his handwriting was the messiest he ever saw, it was clear that Daniel didn't really know anything. Especially what Vlad was telling him.

Vlad sighed and sat down his tea. "Well, Daniel, you see… we live in a world where there are supernatural beings upon us. These _'beings' _are called ghosts. They are basically the afterlife of humans, but after they die, some of them crave to haunt and destroy living humans forever. Their souls travel everywhere, finding a place or a person that reminded them of the past. Then, they just destroy it. All in all, ghosts are freakin' killing machines and while we are now half-ghost, we may become so ourselves."

Daniel's eyes widened in horror. "Wait- you mean, I'm gonna become a killer? I'll travel far and wide just to find my next victim??" He said in shock, backing away from the room.

Vlad smiled at the boy's fear and answered, "_We _may be, if you use your powers properly and don't abuse them." He walked over to Daniel and placed a hand on his shoulder. He cringed at the touch and tried to get away, but Vlad wouldn't let him go; at least not yet.

"I have something else to tell you, dear boy." He leaned over and whispered clearly into his ear: "If you don't be careful, you'll kill everyone and everything you come in contact with. Including… you." He chuckled and left the parlor. Daniel looked at his hands again, seeing the once bloodied, scarred palms completely healed. "This is really freaky." He whispered. He slowly made his way from the parlor into his own room.

He took a quick glance behind him and locked the door. He sat down on his blanket and sighed.

"What did he mean by _'we may become so ourselves.'?_" He thought to himself. Wasn't Vlad basically already a killing machine? True, he chose not to kill Daniel, but… wasn't he still vicious, treasonous man he once was, is and always will be?

That only confused Daniel even more.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The next day was Sunday, the day Vlad usually went into town to pick up a few things for the new week. But this Sunday was going to be different.

"Daniel?" He called out to him from the parlor. Daniel sat down the broom and slowly made his way to the parlor, seeing the bruised knees and dirty face as a sign that he was doing his work. He stopped in the doorway and whispered, "Yes, Master?"

Vlad sat down his teacup and placed his fingers on his forehead. "Daniel, I normally don't ask you to do this but… could you run out into town and pick up some things for me? I have a list and some money."

Daniel's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that Vlad was asking him to go into town. He always thought the place was for people with lots of money, happy little children and beyond it was the pleasant park where you could just sit and compentate.

"M-me? Are you sure, Master?" He stuttered, surprised by the sudden offering. Vlad nodded, already thinking if he should reconsider. After all, Daniel had no idea what lied beyond the pleasant little village there and he may run off and get lost.

And Vlad Masters never loses his servants.

"Alright, here you go. I need you to get everything on this list and quickly. I expect you to be back in an hour or so." He gave Daniel the money and the list. "Make sure you change your clothes as well." He stood from the room and walked to his own.

Daniel stared at the money in his hands. He never seen or even touched money before. It even told him the amount that he was to give the person. "Wow…" He whispered. He scrunched the money in his hands and rubbed it against his face.

He placed a determined frown on his face and exited the room, ready to clean up and change his clothes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"This place is amazing." Daniel whispered, his baby blue eyes staring at the many shops in the market. Children were running around laughing while mothers were talking to one another. Shopkeepers were selling their merchandise with customers and exchanging money. People looked so happy to be there; to be alive, at the most. He never saw anyone that happy in his life. In fact, he's never been that happy before.

Daniel was currently wearing a clean red and blue t-shirt, a pair of black creased dress pants, a blue hoodie, and black and white sneakers. So he'd be able to fit in, he was able to comb and carefully brush his fragile hair, clean his face up, and make his skin not seem so pale and sickly. He looked like one of the crowd, but…

He didn't feel like one of the crowd at all.

Daniel walked down the sidewalk, his eyes curiously moving from one stand to another. He spotted a man selling fruits from a cart and immediately walked over to him. After all, the first thing on Vlad's list was a series of fruits he needed. When he stopped in front of the stand, the shopkeeper glanced up and smiled. "Hello, young man. What can I get you today?" He asked in a cheerful manner.

Daniel gave him the same smile and looked at the many fruits in the cart. "Just some melons, apples, and grapes." He replied in a nonchalant manner. The man nodded and quickly gathered the fruit together in a sturdy wooden basket. He tossed the melons, grapes and apples with ease inside and handed them to him. "Here ya go, sir." He said a twinkle in his emerald green eyes. Daniel looked up at him, surprised. No one has ever called him 'sir' before. In fact, he was only called evil names by Vlad. "Thanks." He said, taking the basket and reaching into his pocket for the money. "How much?"

"That'll be $2.99 a pound, adding up to…" The man stared up at the sky, his lips moving while he was deep in the thought process of mathematics. "With tax, that comes to $12.84, please," He finally said.

After Daniel gave him the money and received his change, he asked with curiosity, "How'd you do the math without a calculator?"

The man chuckled and said, "It's all in here." He placed a finger on his temple. "I've been a mathematician since I was a young boy. Used to add, subtract, square and use geometry for just about everything. When I was only in the 6th grade, they placed me in advanced Algebra. Why, are you good with math?"

Daniel shook his head and laughed a little. "Oh, no, math was my worst subject in school. I'm really more into astronomy."

The man nodded in approval. "Ah, a future astronaut, huh? Y'know, I've always wanted to be a mechanical engineer. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fulfill my dream to become one."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "How come?" He asked.

The man just shrugged. "Hey, I don't really have time to tell you right now, but I promise, when you return here soon, I'll be glad to tell you the story, okay?" He said, giving him one last pat on the shoulder before he left. "Have a great day!" He called out. Daniel smiled at the man's kindness and continued on.

Suddenly, a large figure crashed into him, causing him to drop his basket and the fruits upon the sidewalk. Daniel quickly scrambled to pick up everything; his face becoming deep red as bystanders slowed to glance his way. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to crash into you like that!" A familiar voice said to him. Daniel looked up, seeing Jack Fenton, the man who Vlad was meeting with a few days ago before the painful beating.

Daniel smiled at him. He gathered up the remaining fruit and the ones that Jack helped him retrieve into the basket. He knew he'd have to wash them later when he returned.

"So… what brings you here, Daniel?" Jack asked, walking along side him. Daniel just shrugged. "Not much. I'm just running errands here for Mr. Masters." He said. He knew he couldn't call Vlad 'Master' in front of Jack because he knew he'd expect something.

Jack nodded. "Well, so am I, of course. Just gotta get a few things before my daughter gets home." Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey, why don't you come along with me? I'm sure Vlad won't mind if we hang out for a while." Daniel was hesitant for a moment before agreeing. "Fine with me. I have to be back in a couple of hours, though." He explained, letting him guide him through the market.

Along the way, they stopped at several stands, buying some food and a few other things they needed. Finally, Jack led Daniel into a shop that sort of resembled a small house. "This is my favorite place to go; they sell tons of candy here." Jack told him, giving him a wink. Daniel smiled and followed Jack into the store. The cashier at the counter looked at and gave him a bright smile. "Well, if it isn't my favorite customer! Where's that lovely little lady of yours?" He asked, referring to his daughter. Jack gave him a wave and laughed. "She won't be home until later. Just here to get some stuff for her,"

Noticing that Daniel hasn't said anything since he entered the store, the clerk glanced at him and chuckled. "Well, who do we have here?" Jack placed his arm around Daniel's shoulders and replied, "He lives with Mr. Masters. His name's Daniel." He gave him a little wave and the man placed his hand out and shook it. "Nice to me ya, Daniel. Here for some sweets?"

Daniel just shrugged and asked in a sweet and shy voice, "What kind of stuff do you have?"

"What do we have?" He asked, surprised. "Only the best damn candy in the world!" He disappeared under the desk for a second before reappearing with a piece of butterscotch candy. "I can tell what kind of candy you like just by lookin' at ya. Go ahead." He offered Daniel the candy, who cautiously took it. He slowly unwrapped the golden plastic before slipping the candy into the palm of his hand. He inspected it for a moment before placing the butterscotch into his mouth. Surprising, it was delicious.

The clerk saw the look on Daniel's face and gave him a satisfied smile. "See? I knew you'd like it. I could tell." He came from behind the counter and stood in front of him. "How?" Daniel asked, curious and amazed how the people here were so intelligent that it didn't take much effort. "Well," He began, digging through his pockets and unwrapping a caramel square for himself. "I can see the look of someone's face when they come in. It's like I can feel their very emotions, matching with a certain candy. Like you, for example. When you came in here, I saw a face, determined and amazed. But just below it was sadness and shame, almost like you don't want to admit to anyone how you really feel. You've lost someone you cared about years ago, and the love you found was taken away by another soul. I assure you, one day, you're gonna find a true love, and she'll care for you like no other and your life will get better."

Daniel couldn't believe it. A simple candy store salesman had told him everything about his life and how he felt…

Just by giving him a piece of candy.

As if reading his mind, the clerk smiled. "Butterscotch was the right one for you. On the outside is a hard, protective shell, seeming bitter and immune to whatever it has taken. But just below the surface is a sweet sensation, a taste so flavorful that no one could resist its precious, golden charm." He went back behind the counter.

"That's how he realized that my favorite was chocolate." Jack said, placing some money on the counter. "And speaking of chocolate…"

The clerk pointed at him and said, "You got it. One pound of dark chocolate with a side of caramel comin' up." He disappeared into the stock room.

Jack turned to Daniel. "Pretty cool how he could kinda 'see' through you, huh?" He nodded, his eyes wandering to the display of butterscotch.

"Here ya go." The clerk returned with a large bag of chocolate and caramel. He gave Jack the bag and his change. Then, he said, "Wait here for a second, Daniel," He disappeared once again into the room. Daniel looked up at Jack, who also had an equally confused look on his face.

The clerk returned with a golden bag of candy and handed it to Daniel. He knelt to his level and whispered, "Look, son, I know what you've been through and as a present for not giving up and for fighting your way through life, I give you this pound of butterscotch candies. If you eat about 5 a day, by the time it's halfway gone, you'll finally get what you've been looking for, okay?" He patted him on the shoulder. Daniel smiled and held the bag carefully in his hands. "Thank you." He whispered before leaving the shop with Jack.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By the time Daniel returned back to Vlad's house, it was dinnertime. He sat everything in the kitchen and ran to his room. He stuffed the bag of butterscotch in one of his drawers and returned to the kitchen to make dinner. Vlad came from the parlor just to see Daniel beginning dinner. "You're back, I see." He said in a flat voice. Daniel nodded and washed the fruits and vegetables off. He spent the next couple of hours preparing dinner and then resting up in his room with a book to read. He was really lucky that Vlad hadn't found out about him being late so soon, but he did later that night and beat him, but not as badly as the other times.

That night, when Daniel went to bed, he lay down on the floor, dug up the butterscotch and took out five pieces. He carefully ate them, one by one, tears falling from his face before he fell asleep.

**Oh my f***** gosh, I'm done!!!!!! Yeah! I had writer's block so I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you guys liked it! I'll post chapter 3 by Thursday or Friday! Read and review, of course!**


	4. Chapter Three: Painful Memories

**Chapter Three: Painful Memories **

**Well, I recently finished chapter two, so here's chapter three! (Insert reviewers names later) This chapter doesn't reveal Daniel's most painful memory *the one where Mr. Chapelton rapes him when he's four* the one where his parents died in the fire when he was a baby. The other one *including a few more* will be in later chapters. The one when Sam comes in *not until chapter 5* will be the first memory. Read, review and enjoy! (A/N: remember when Daniel believes that his parents are gone? Well, you're gonna be in for a big surprise later on. However, whenever I finish the story (probably next year XD) someone's gonna die *no, Danny's not gonna die in this story, but a main character will* and it won't be one of those cheesy little endings where everyone is happy. No, someone's gonna be miserable *besides Vlad, of course* and the main characters like: Danny, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Jazz, Jack and someone else… *will be revealed later*)**

Daniel woke up the next morning, his feet already feeling sore from the long walk home. He would have accepted the ride home from Jack, but he knew Vlad would beat him for revealing himself again.

He slowly sat up, feeling a sharp pain in his back. He pulled his shirt over his head and fingered his back the best he could. Of course, the pain was from the carving Vlad engraved him with when he revealed himself a few days ago and ran off. He knew it was a message, but he had no idea what the message was. He stood up, made his way towards the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He turned his back to the mirror and read it backwards. It said: _'Whether or not I murder you, you belong to me- forever.' _Daniel sighed, fresh tears he forced not to fall from his face. He solemnly walked back to his bedroom.

"Why is he doing this?" He whispered. He glanced at the bag of butterscotch the kind salesclerk gave him yesterday and took out five more. He unwrapped and ate one but saved the other four for later. He slowly sucked on the candy, feeling calm and serene when he heard Vlad call for him.

Daniel walked into the pantry, seeing Vlad sitting at the window. "Yes, Master?" He asked, hiding the candy under his tongue. Vlad turned to him then suddenly asked, "Do I smell candy? Preferably… butterscotch??" His face twisted into a disgusted smirk. Daniel backed away, afraid that Vlad would find out where he got the butterscotch from, leading to how he found the candy shop, the meeting with Jack and-

It was too much to think about.

Vlad stood from his chair and slowly walked towards Daniel. The further he walked, the more Daniel backed away. He finally fell into the wall and slid to the floor. "Please…" He whispered, hugging his knees to his chest. Vlad knelt down and lean closer to Daniel's face. He took a deep breath, and then demanded, "Where the hell did you get it from?" Daniel closed his eyes. "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET IT FROM!?!" He screamed. Daniel opened one eye and whimpered, "The candy shop."

Vlad grabbed him by the collar. "And how did you find the candy shop, dare I ask?" Daniel remained silent for a moment before he screamed again, "Answer me, goddamn it!" Daniel let out a shaky breath and whispered, "I ran into Jack while I was in town yesterday. He accidentally ran into me and I dropped the fruit everywhere. He helped me pick it up and led me through town. We ran errands together for a few hours until he took me to his favorite place: the candy shop. The clerk there was kind enough to give me a free pound of butterscotch and told me that if I eat five of them each day, then once the bag was half empty, I would finally receive what I need and desire." He explained, closing his eyes tightly to await the painful impact. But what shocked him was that Vlad didn't beat him. He sat him down on the chair, grabbed his cheeks tightly in his hand and hissed, "Get rid of it. And I will find the rest of it, too." He slapped Daniel so hard across the face that the now diminished candy fell from his lips onto the floor.

Vlad tossed him aside and returned to his chair in front of the window. "Remain seated Daniel, for I have something to tell you." Daniel sat perfectly still on the sofa, realizing that he was wearing the same clothes that he wore to the market yesterday. His hair was a little messy, but not like before. His once pale, dry skin had a somewhat rejuvenated tone to it.

"Do you remember the death of your parents?" He asked, not turning back to him. Daniel fiddled with his thumbs for a minute before he replied, "Yes, I do." His voice was soft and lost.

Vlad smiled and continued. "I want you to tell me everything you remember about that day."

Daniel froze for a second. Why was Vlad asking him about his parents' death? He could just tell him that he remembered nothing, but he knew Vlad knew he would be lying.

Reaching for the tiny bit of butterscotch he had to finish, Daniel sighed and finally began the memory.

"Well, I think I was only a month old…"

_Flashback: about 14 years ago_

"_Danny…" A sweet, gentle voice cooed to the tiny baby. Madeline Fenton rocked her one-month-old baby boy, Danny in her arms. It was nighttime, when her husband was saying his goodnights to her other child, Jasmine. _

_Danny stared at her with his beautiful, baby blue eyes. He was a sight to cherish. His hair was the perfect ebony black ruffled like feathers on his head. His skin was a lustrous vanilla shade, glistening in the dimmed moonlight from outside. He had the cutest little face with tiny, unnoticeable freckles on his chubby little cheeks. But his eyes… his eyes were absolute perfection. They shined the most beautiful, serene baby blue that you'll never find anywhere else on the planet._

_They were a cherished masterpiece._

_Danny let out tiny cooed that practically echoed through the quiet room. He gave her a small smile that could make even the coldest and most vile of hearts melt in an instant. She calmly smiled back and stroked his small truffle of hair gently. She could almost see him now; walking off to his first day of school, finally winning and accomplishing things in his life, even graduate from high school with his best friends and sister by his side. She felt a tiny tear trickle down her cheek, and wiped it away quickly, making sure her baby boy wouldn't see her crying._

_Apparently she wasn't fast enough. As soon as Danny saw his mother crying, his smile disappeared. His beautiful baby blue eyes became a shade darker and his once pleasant coos became sad whimpers. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm alright. There's nothing to cry about…" She whispered, kissing him on his forehead and poking his tiny nose. Danny's expression when from distressed to amused as he let out a giggle. Maddie smiled and laughed herself. "You are the most beautiful baby in the world." She felt his tiny hand wrap around her finger as he was gently caressed and carried off into a gentle sleep._

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_A couple of hours later, Maddie heard a high pitched screaming coming from Danny's nursery. He glanced over at her husband, who woke up as well. Suddenly, she smelled smoke in the air and saw a bright blaze coming from down the hall. Her Amethyst eyes widened in horror as she tossed the bedsheets from her body and ran down the hall. "Danny!" She cried out, seeing smoke coming from the crack of his door. She tried opened the door by jiggling the knob, but she remembered that she locked the door a few hours ago. She took a deep breath and pushed her body as hard as she could into the door. Fortunately, the bolts of the doors weren't that strong and the door tore down. She was about to run headfirst into the room, when her eyes spotted a fire that blazed through the nursery. _

"_Danny!!" Maddie cried again, covering her face to protect herself from inhaling the dangerous fumes. She ran her best to Danny's crib, fighting the smoke and flames. _

_Danny's high pitched screaming was once again heard, followed by a tiny harsh cough. She finally saw him, his face blackened by smoke and tears falling from his eyes. He violently wiggled around, screaming his little heart out for help. She grabbed him, covering his fragile body with her robe and ran from the room. _

_Suddenly, a piece of the door frame fell down, blocking the exit with burning wood. She screamed, accidentally tripping over the rug and falling to the floor. She could have run to the window, but it was locked tightly; she or her husband was never able to open it before. _

"_Maddie!" He cried from the other side of the door. The flames grew stronger. She was about blind to her husband standing there. "Hold on! I'll go get help!" He called out. Before he ran off, she shouted, "Take Danny with you!" Without a second thought, she pulled the no longer crying baby from her arms to him. If he weren't so strong, Danny would have fallen and died right there in the fire. He held Danny close to his chest and ran off, not knowing his wife would die within minutes of the fire. _

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_Meanwhile, her husband was crying outside, screaming her name into the busy street filled with firefighters and crowds of bystanders. An ambulance came, taking away an unconscious little girl, and a mother, who belonged to Danny and who died before she could even say goodbye. They were trying to revive Danny, but it took them several minutes before he began crying again. A significant amount of smoke entered his lungs, causing him to possibly have future breathing problems. Other than that, he'd be okay. But the fact that he was going to believe that everyone in his family was gone…_

_That was an everlasting scar._

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

"Wow… when I remembered that, I never realized I knew so much. I mean, I think I know what my mother looked like, but… I'm not entirely sure…" Daniel whispered, half to himself and half to Vlad. He closed his eyes, trying as hard as he possibly could to remember her face. A faded image came to mind, blurred by many colors.

"I can't see her…" He whispered, opening his eyes and sighed. Vlad smiled and walked towards him. He stood directly in front of Daniel, seeing his eyes shining dully with sadness. He patted him on the shoulder, causing Daniel to cringe a bit. "You'll see her soon, just you wait…" He chuckled darkly and left the room.

Daniel froze in fear. For a second, he thought of Vlad beating him tonight, almost killing him in the process like last time. Maybe this time-

He'd do it for real.

Daniel stood from his seat and shook while walking down to his room. He locked the door behind him. He crawled under his blanket and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

_-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

"_Hello?" Daniel called out into the darkness. He walked through the empty room, his footsteps echoing through the air. Suddenly, he was blinding by a white light. Daniel shielded his eyes with his arm._

_He finally gained the courage to glance up. His eyes widened in wonder as he found himself on a beach. The soft, white sand dancing through the air. He glanced down at himself, seeing an unfamiliar black and blue suit replacing his old clothes from before. _

_Then, he saw it._

_A figure ventured off in the distance. It looked about a head taller than him. By what he could make out, the figure was a woman. Her brown hair flowed through the breeze behind her. Her white dress brushed against her bare ankles, showing off beautiful crystal diamond heels. _

"_Mom…?" He finally managed to whisper. She turned around, hearing his voice. She had the most beautiful Amethyst eyes and tanned vanilla skin. Her figure was absolutely perfect, her skin, curves… everything about her was flawless. _

"_Danny…" She whispered. She extended her arms to him, waiting for his embrace. Without a second thought, Daniel ran as fast as he could; the blood in his legs pumping harder than ever. Suddenly, he lost his balance and fell into the sand. He quickly stood up, spitting some sand from his mouth and wiping it away from his clothes. _

_Maddie chuckled a bit before helping him to his feet and brushing the excess sand from his face. "Oh, Danny," She whispered in his ear. _

_Daniel couldn't resist anymore. He jumped into her arms, feeling her wrapped around his body. He felt nothing but warmth and compassion as hot tears began to form in his eyes. "Don't hold it in, Danny, I'm here… just let yourself go…" She whispered, resting her arms around her son's body. _

_Daniel finally let the tears he held so long to fall down his face. He wanted everything to be okay. He wanted someone to understand how he felt about being a part of this world. He wanted-_

_He wanted someone there to hear him cry. _

_He needed someone there to wrap his arms around._

_He had to have someone to give his heart to._

_He needed love…_

"_Mom…" Daniel barely whispered, his voice almost inaudible. Maddie smiled as she silently listened to her son cry; the sound she wanted to hear to make sure everything was all right._

"_I love you mom…."_

"_I love you too, Danny. I'll always be with you…"_

Meanwhile, in reality, Daniel was still asleep peacefully. He continued whispering to his mother quietly, tears falling upon his pillow and a smile, for one of the few times, etched on his face.

"Mommy…" He whispered one last time, before he deeply fell asleep.

**This is probably gonna be my shortest chapter because I had a block. But in the next chapter, Vlad is gonna train Danny in his new ghost powers. This is gonna be interesting next chapter. *evil smirk* Anyway, review! There's the button there! XD Sorry, this chapter wasn't really good. Anyway, can't wait! **


	5. Chapter Four: Training Days

**Chapter Four: Training Day**

**Okay, I thank you all for reviewing in my last chapters! :D I love you guys! Anyway, next chapter is the moment you've all been waiting for: when Danny meets Sam! Yay! XD Yeah, you guys have been asking for a while, so you'll have to wait awhile. Guess what? My computer privileges are banned after all! I got my report card and got mostly A's *with a couple of B's and an A- XD* **

**Okay, enough about the past and me. In this chapter, Daniel *remember, he's not 'Danny' until the next chapter* starts losing control of his ghost powers, so he surprising as it is, gets help from Vlad by agreeing to have trained him. There's not much to say about this chapter except that Danny is gonna learn about his powers and stuff, so here ya go! Read and review, as usual! *btw: I was so happy when I reached 21 reviews! In four chapters! Thank you all! I luvs you so much!* also, there will be Avatar: The Last Airbender action, such as bending the elements and such.***

The next morning, Daniel slowly woke up, a blinding light shining in his eyes. He groaned and quickly covered his eyes, the sunlight already giving him an unpleasant sight of the day ahead. He slowly sat up and stretched, his body slowly regaining consciousness. He glanced at his surroundings, blinking at the sight for a moment. Suddenly, it hit him. He was no longer in his room-

He was just below it; in the living room.

"What the hell…?" Daniel mumbled, rubbing his head in confusion. He stood up and just walked around. "How'd I get here?" He thought to himself. There was no way Vlad picked him up and tossed him in here because for one he didn't hear or feel anything and for two-

Vlad, strangely enough, didn't beat him last night.

Daniel's eyes widened, suddenly realizing that his room was vulnerable to Vlad. Since he had ghost powers, he could easily phase through the door and check on Daniel, regardless of him locking the door every night when he went to bed.

Then, he'd find the bloody writing on the walls and surely kill him.

"**DANIEL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?!" **He heard Vlad call out from above him. Daniel closed his eyes, tears springing to the surface. He knew Vlad finally found the writing and was awaiting the half murder he'd surely receive. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the day. He could finally see his mother, run on the beach he dreamt of in the sky, holding her hand tightly. He'd stare up into her Amethyst eyes and whisper, "I love you, mom. Don't let me go."

He carefully made his way down the hall. His skin felt cold and clammy while he shook with fear. "I'm ready." He whispered. He carefully opened the door to his room, but when he peered inside, the room was empty.

"Hello? Master?" He called out, walking into his room. He searched around, wondering if he could actually sense Vlad near, awaiting his punishment. He carefully walked out of the room and locked the door.

"Where could he-"Daniel began, when he heard a noise from behind him. He pressed his body against the wall, trying his best to hide from the one person he feared most. "Where are you, Daniel? I know you're hiding somewhere..." He heard Vlad from the pantry. Daniel knew he couldn't remain plastered against the wall, so he made his way down the hall to the pantry, where Vlad may have been having his morning tea.

Sure enough, when he arrived there, Vlad was sitting at the armchair next to the window, sipping an elegantly decorated cup of tea. "Please sit, Daniel," He whispered. Very hesitant, Daniel eased his way over to the sofa across from him and sat down. He felt a wave of uneasiness wash over his body before asking, "Why is it that you wish to speak with me, Master?"

Vlad sat down the teacup and drummed his fingernails together in thought. "You weren't in your room this morning, I could tell." He said, his expression never changing.

Daniel took a deep breath and said, "Well… it seems that I… fell through the ceiling and ended up in the living room." He waited for him to answer.

"Just as I thought- your powers are still unstable. We'll just have to work on that, won't we?" Vlad stood up and walked to the doorway. He motioned a hand for him to follow. Daniel stood up and walked a few feet behind Vlad. He was afraid of the dangers lurking beneath what Vlad had in mind for him.

Suddenly, Vlad paused. Daniel followed suit and stopped just behind him. Vlad chuckled a bit. "Ah, Daniel. What are you- afraid that I'll hurt you?" He said in an amused tone. Daniel shook his head, already lying. He and Vlad both knew that he was afraid of him. He never knew what dangers, destruction and pain lie beneath him.

But when Vlad opened the door that led to the backyard, all Daniel could feel was…

Mesmerized.

The entire backyard area was embedded in a flourish of beauty. The grass was a perfect shade of green, its blades tickling the bottoms of his feet. Trees overlooked the area, fresh apples growing from a few of them already. Flowers bloomed everywhere in a many array of colors; from crimson red roses to honey yellow lilies to ivory carnations. A wooden gazebo stood in the middle of it all, freshly painted white and covered in an abundance of flowers. They slid down the sides of each pole, all coming from the ceiling or 'roof' of the structure. Bright, rosy pink stairs led to the gazebo's entrance gate, which was carefully carved into the finest scroll of decorative.

Daniel felt a sudden twinge of sadness in his heart when he remembered the black vase on the kitchen table when he was a baby, covering in white painted leaves. His mother used to place a fresh batch of red and pink carnations in the vase's icy water. She'd pinch the stems just under the blossom and bring it to her nose, taking in its intoxicating smell. Then, she would pull the flower from the vase and bring it to him. He remembered his stubby, little arms reach out from the carrier in awe. He knew the familiar silk touch of the flower come in contact with his tiny fingers. He let out a squeal of delight, causing his mother to laugh.

"Those carnations…" He whispered aloud. Vlad turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "What was that?" He asked, curious to why the boy was commenting on something so… common such as the carnations in his garden.

Daniel walked over to the ivory carnations and knelt down. He carefully picked one up, pinching it in between his fingers under the blossom, just like his mother. He stood up and closed his eyes, breathing in the flower's scent. Vlad watched him with interest, until something hit him:

It was the same thing that the love of his life, Madeline Fenton, once did when she was alive.

Suddenly, Vlad swiped the flower away from Daniel. "Why'd you do that, Master?" He asked in a feeble voice. Vlad frowned at him for a moment before sighing. "No reason…" He walked towards the gazebo, motioning for Daniel to follow. He reluctantly obeyed and walked over to the steps, careful not to splinter his feet on the wood. He stood behind Vlad, who was almost the exact to a statue. His hands were placed behind his back and his head was tilted to the sky, a firm stare positioned off into the distance.

"Daniel… I brought you out here for a reason," He began, not turning to him. Daniel nodded before he continued.

"Your powers… they have many unique values to them. But today, I will only show you a few of those, and this evening… I will show you the one ability that you'll need to know, got it?" He explained, slightly turning his head.

Daniel's eyes widened in curiosity. "What kind of values?" He asked.

Vlad finally turned around before saying, "Disappear."

"What?"

"Disappear, Daniel. Now."

"But, Master, how do I-"

"Do it now, Daniel! Damn it, **DO IT NOW!" **Vlad shouted, grabbing him by his shirt collar.

Without thinking, Daniel closed his eyes tightly and concentrated. Suddenly, he felt his body slowly fade away, as of the rest of him. He fell from Vlad's grip and landed on the floor. "W-what did I do?" He shook, staring at his hands. Vlad smirked. "That, my dear boy, was being intangible." He said, helping him up. Daniel took his hand hesitantly and pulled himself up.

"Now, I need you to try it again. This time, stand perfectly still and don't close your eyes." He instructed. Daniel took a deep breath before staring into open space and concentrating. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he tried becoming invisible once again. He kept his stance and once again, felt his body vanish. He reappeared, a broad smile on his face. "I did it!" He exclaimed, feeling proud of accomplishing one of Master's commands.

Vlad smiled. "Good. Now, I'm going to teach you an exercise that will combine intangibility with a sensation called a ghost sense. When you feel this, your body will reply by shivering and a mist of icy smoke will escape your lips." He walked down the steps and across the garden. "I'll be over here. When I throw an item at you, you must respond by going intangible. Your ghost sense will come in once you complete this task. Ready?" He picked up a large tree branch and, in a blink of an eye, tossed it at Daniel.

Daniel closed his eyes and concentrated. He was about to become intangible, when the branch made direct contact with his chest and threw him backwards. He fell against the rails, wincing in pain. Vlad shook his head disapprovingly. He walked over to Daniel and picked up the branch from his body. "I can see that you can't go intangible properly without closing your eyes." He pulled the clean handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He stood behind Daniel and tied it around his head, covering his eyes.

"This will help you better concentrate until you can go intangible without closing your eyes," He explained. He returned to the same spot and threw the branch, this time yelling, "Get ready, Daniel!"

Almost automatically, Daniel disappeared, the branch going right through him. Vlad smiled in gratitude and walked back to him. Daniel lifted the handkerchief from his eyes and looked up at Vlad. "How did I do, Master?" He asked. He nodded. "Well done. Now, this next one will involve your ghost sense. You'll be able to sense me coming towards you when I go intangible. Don't be afraid when you suddenly become cold."

Daniel nodded and pulled the handkerchief over his eyes. "Ready."

Vlad dived towards him, preparing to go right through him.

Suddenly, Daniel felt an icy sensation wash over his throat. He tried gasping for breath as the power became stronger. For a second, he couldn't breathe right, but he finally went intangible just as Vlad flew through him. He grabbed his chest and fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Vlad appeared beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked in a mildly concerned voice. Danny nodded, his coughing finally ceased.

"I think you're ready," Vlad complimented. He stood up and pulled him with him.

Daniel took a deep breath and finally asked, "What's the ability you wanted to show me?"

Vlad walked over to the garden, motioning Daniel to follow him. He followed behind, keeping a good distance between them. Finally, Vlad stopped in front of a large pond, just about the size of a lake, but a little smaller. "This is it." He whispered. He allowed Daniel to stand beside him.

"Why are we here, Master?" Daniel asked, brushing his feet against the grass. He was about to sit down, when Vlad stared at him a little longer, he stopped and stayed in the same position.

Vlad walked to the edge of the pond. He knelt down and without a word, dipped his fingers in the water. He carefully pulled them out and stared at the water particles on his fingers for a second. "Now watch carefully," He whispered. Then, right before Daniel's eyes, the water on Vlad's fingers floated in midair; the liquid glimmering and swirling.

"How'd you do that…?" Daniel whispered in awe, his mouth was still opened. Vlad smirked and made the water disappear into thin air.

"That is what I'm about to teach you. Are you ready?" He asked.

For a second, Daniel had to reframe from jumping ecstatically. He kept a calm exterior and nodded with a determined frown on his face. "I'm ready."

Vlad nodded. "Good." He knelt down once again, this time, allowing Daniel to follow suit. They sat on their knees for a few seconds quietly before Vlad scooped up the water in his hands and kept it firm in his palms. He exhaled calmly before allowing the water to form a globe in his cupped left hand. He held his fingers over the top of the globe, letting strings of water glide up his fingertips up to his fingers. Then, froze the water on his fingers and shot them towards a nearby tree, stabbing the trunk like hunting arrows.

"In a while, with some practice, you'll be able to create ice. In the meantime…" Vlad took Daniel's wrist and pulled it into the water. "Now, close your eyes and allow your hand to take control of the water. Got it?" He instructed. Daniel nodded. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He waited for the water to respond to his hand, just like Vlad had done before.

Nothing happened.

"Master? Am I doing something wrong?" Daniel asked shakily, hoping that Vlad wouldn't beat him tonight.

Vlad sighed and released his wrist. "No, Daniel. Your body's energy must be blocked." Vlad placed his own hand in the water once again, but this time, a glowing icy blue hue formed around his hand.

"Hold still." He placed the hand on Daniel's chest. The water began swirling around his heart, reaching through his body and creating a blue glare around his body. For an instant, he couldn't really feel his heart beating, but after Vlad removed the glow, he was back to normal.

"What was that?" He asked in curiosity. "I tried unblocking your energy. Fortunately, I was able to relieve most of it, however, you've been in too much pain to actually let yourself go." He explained.

"Now, try again."

Daniel closed his eyes again, pushing his hand in the water. He concentrated, feeling a smooth electric flow wave through him. Suddenly, the water formed around his hand, and when he pulled it out of the pond, it remained still on his palm.

"I did it!" He cried, a broad smile placed on his lips. Vlad smiled, for once delightful to see Daniel excited. "Very good." He complimented. Daniel watched the water bubble up on his fingers, then glide up the tip of his fingertips onto his other hand. He moved the water around elegantly, amazed at what beauty he was creating. He made shapes with the water, including globes, swirls, and spirals.

"This is amazing." He whispered, watching the water glow bright blue with his words. Vlad looked on, gazing at the boy playing with the water. For a second, he considered Daniel to be… more than insignificant in his eyes. He somewhat felt that Daniel….

Was just a confused, hurt child that needed love.

"Daniel…" He began to say. Daniel looked up, the smile never parting from his lips. He looked so happy, what with the glistening, swirling water, and the excitement in his eyes expressing curiosity a greater truth than they really were.

Vlad quickly shook away the thought. "Never mind. You need to learn one more thing before we finish up for the evening." He motioned his hand over the water Daniel had control of and pulled it back into the pond. For a second, Daniel seemed saddened at the sudden departure, but followed Vlad to another area in the garden.

This time, the spot he took him to had a beautiful, hilly view of the sunset. The colors were in aligned with a blur of sky blue, orange-golden, spots of yellow, and pinkish- purple hues. The grass was exceptionally warm here, so Vlad allowed Daniel to sit on the ground. He carefully rested on his knees, the warmth of the grass soothing his skin. He took a minute before falling back and taking in every bit of comfort he could.

"Alright, Daniel, enough of the lazing around, we've got work to do." Vlad said, pulling him by his arm onto his feet.

"Now, the last thing with being half ghost is flying." He said.

Daniel's eyes widened in wonder. He never flew on a plane, let alone by himself. He was really ready to try this out.

"Okay, the first thing you do- is to concentrate, just like before. Only this time, really see yourself in the sky, flying above and beyond your wildest imagination." He explained. Vlad closed his eyes, and without a second thought, began to lift from the ground. Daniel watched him, his mouth wide opened the entire time. He watched Vlad stretch out his arms and soar through the diminishing skyline. He flew as far as physically possible, just enough to have Daniel make him out as a speck in the middle of the multicolored sky.

"That's amazing..." He whispered in wonder, his eyes following Vlad's every move. He slowly landed in front of him, the wind somewhat picking up.

"Now.... let me see you try it." He said, pulling Daniel towards the edge of the hilly cliff.

Daniel stared at the long distance from him to the ground below. Sure, there was grass just below, but the impact would still be painful. His eyes widened and his breathing tightened. "A-are you s-sure?" He stuttered, his hands now clammy and shaking.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Daniel, don't tell me you're afraid?" He asked, a demanding glare glinting in his eyes. Daniel gulped nervously. He knew Vlad could always tell when he was afraid...

Just like now.

"I'll try," He whispered. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He lifted his arms slowly, feeling the wind rush through his shaggy hair. He stood on his toes and, without a second thought, jumped off the edge. He tried screaming, but his vocal chords wouldn't work. He tried to cry out, but his lips were too dry. His eyes were squeezed shut, tears falling through the cracks of his lids.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Daniel carefully opened one eye. Strangely enough, there wasn't a hard impact to the ground. He was just a few feet from it, but...

He was floating.

He took a moment before he stifled his body into a standing position. His legs wobbled a bit at the sudden motion, but he became stable again and slowly pushed his arms in front of him. He pushed his body in the same direction and began to fly. "H-hey! I'm doing it! I'm flying!" He cried out, his smile growing bigger with every moment. He took off faster, soaring through the now night sky. He felt the wind whip his face rapidly, and his eyes matched the oncoming stars in the sky.

"Master, look! I can fly!" He called out, turning over in a back flip in the air.

Vlad stared at him for a moment before a soft smile curved onto his lips. He never saw Daniel so happy in all the times he been there. In fact, when he first got there, he was the most miserable soul he'd ever seen.

Finally, Daniel found his control and landed in front of him. He stumbled a bit but regained balance. "How was that?" He said, out of breath.

Vlad nodded. "We'll call it a night. But I'd like to have further training with you sometime this week. Got it?" He explained, retreating from the garden. Daniel followed behind, the smile still on his face. Vlad chuckled to himself at seeing the boy so pleased with his powers.

When they reached the house, Vlad allowed Daniel to retire to his room for the night. "Good night, Daniel." He whispered, departing into the dining room and turning off the lights in the house.

Once Vlad had disappeared, Daniel ran to his room and shut the door. He locked it and reached into the dresser. He pulled out the bag of butterscotch and took out five pieces. He hid four of them under his pillow, but unwrapped one and began to eat it. He walked over to the window and pushed it opened, which was rare because most of the time, the window would either be stuck closed or wide opened on a chilly night.

He stared into the sky, complementing his eyes with the stars in the midnight blue sky. He smiled and began to whisper silently. "Hey, mom, guess what? I finally learned how to fly, just like an astronaut! You'd probably be really proud of me, you and dad. But... I just wanna let you know: I love you guys very much. I mean, I thought happiness didn't exist until I learned how to fly. It's kinda weird to do it this way, but at least I can reach out and touch something other than the ground. I can finally go as far as I can go. I wish you could see me....

"Cause I miss you."

With a tired yawn, Daniel slipped under the blankets and placed his head onto the pillow, falling into a restful sleep.

***takes a deep breath with a sigh of relief* I finally finished! yay! *dance* XD but... Sam's gonna appear in the next chapter! Bet you guys can't wait, huh? Well, read and review of course! I promise to update soon! :D**


	6. Chapter Five: Special Visitations

**Chapter five: Special Visitations**

**Well, that last chapter didn't go very well, but this one is the main event. :D Yep, this is the chapter when Sam comes in! *happy dance XD* Anyway, I know how you guys were waiting forever for her to come in… so here ya go! *this may be the longest chapter I'm ever gonna write XD* There probably won't be any real DxS romance for a while because they gotta adjust to be friends and whatnot, y'know? :D Anyway, here you guys go!**

"Daniel!" Vlad called out from the dining room.

Daniel peeked from the pantry. His face was covered with dirt and a feather duster was gripped in his right hand. He spent the entire morning cleaning almost the entire house, top to bottom. He walked from the room and entered the dining room, coughing a little from the dust.

"Yes, Master?" He asked, placing the duster in his back pocket. Vlad sat at the table and twiddled his fingers. "Daniel, I have a special visitor today. Are you aware of the Manson family; my sister?" He asked. Daniel nodded. He knew of the Mansons very well. They were part of the richest royal family in the country, heir to the Masters' estate. Vlad's sister was married to a major business tycoon and her daughter was best friends with the nobleman's son, the Foleys.

"Well, my sister and her family are coming for a visit this afternoon and I want everything in tip-top shape. So, when they come at around 2pm, don't screw this one up: stay completely out of sight and out of mind! Got it?" He demanded, finally standing from the table.

Daniel nodded, stuffing a rag further into his holed pocket. He jogged off into his room to get ready. He carefully locked the door to his room, reading the bloody, dry words on the wall once again. The phrase that he wrote a few days ago was still etched into his mind. '_Murder on my soul'. _The pain of the words was inflicted forever into his fragile being. He tried to quickly tear himself away from the pain he once went through and pulled up a clean pair of pants, followed by a button-down shirt and some underwear. He picked up his washcloth and headed to the bathroom. He sat his clothes down on the counter, pulling his clothes off carefully. He knew the bathroom wasn't specially made for him, but he was still allowed to use it.

He ran the water into the elegant bathtub, watching lavender, soapy substance flow from one of the holes as well. He made sure to make the water extra hot; just to help his body relax and return to reality. After the training he received a few days ago, Daniel still needed to adjust himself to his ghost powers.

When the tub was finally filled, Daniel stepped inside. He immediately felt the heat of the water singed his body, but he quickly recovered from it. He slid down further into the soapy wonder and sighed. The bath was really soothing, considering all the pain that he's been through lately. Just yesterday, Vlad beat him for spilling an entire jug of milk all over the clean counter and floor. He spent the next 3 hours cleaning the entire kitchen, top to bottom. Today wasn't much better. He dropped one of the precious teapots on the carpet of the pantry because he was still having trouble controlling his intangibility. Vlad saw the mess after Daniel tried to cover it up and beat him extra hard: one- because he dropped the teapot and hid the accident and two- because he wasn't keeping his powers under control like he should have.

Daniel shook away the memories and tried to heal his injured back with the water. Unfortunately, all he could really do with the water was bend it. That's what Vlad called it before-

Waterbending.

While thinking about it at the time, Daniel lifted his hands and swirled his hands around. Beads of sweat popped up on his forehead as he struggled to twist the water and form a mini whirlpool. He smiled at the accomplishment as he made beads of water float in midair. He released the water from his control and let it fall.

"Wonder what the Mansons are like…" He randomly thought to himself. He hoped they weren't anything like Master was. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to know because Vlad clearly stated 'stay completely out of sight and out of mind'.

Finishing up, Daniel let the water out down the drain. He grabbed a towel from the rack and tied it around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom and headed towards his room. Suddenly, he heard Vlad faintly talking to someone on the phone.

He quickly hid behind a wall. He could hear him clearer now.

"I'm telling you, you must keep her by your side at all times!" Vlad shouted into the phone. Since Daniel had his hearing enhanced with his ghost powers, he could hear the other person on the other line.

"_Vlad, what's so serious about it? Why do I need to protect Samantha during our visit? Is something the matter?"_

"Remember the boy I adopted years ago?"

"_Of course. He was such a cute little boy."_

"Well, that _boy _grew up to be dangerous! You have no idea!"

"_Oh, Vlad, he is not-"_

"This is extremely serious, Pamela! I'm talking about Daniel! At first, he came here kicking and screaming! Imagine what he turned into now!"

"_Vlad, get a hold of yourself! Daniel is just lost and confused. Half the time, he's not sure what he's doing. He's been through everything known to man."_

"That's no excuse! Now, sister, I suggest you and Jeremy keep Samantha safe here before Daniel becomes reckless and hurts her! Understand??"

"_Very well, Vlad. But I must tell you one more time- he's lost. You could at least light the flame in a direction for him to take!"_

"He burnt out that flame long ago…"

With final goodbyes, Vlad hung up the phone. He walked towards Daniel's direction, giving him enough time to dart to his room. He eased the door shut and sat on the floor, unwrapping another piece of butterscotch. "He thinks I'm a monster…" He whispered, his eyes glazed in tears.

"Daniel?" Vlad called out from the hallway. Daniel wiped away the oncoming tears and slipped the wrapper under his blanket. He stood up, opening the door. "Yes, Master?" He whispered. "Daniel… I know you heard my conversation with my sister…" He hissed, a heavy frown etched on his face. Daniel held his breath, awaiting the blow of Vlad's fist to his face.

But instead, Vlad walked away from him. "You may briefly acknowledge the Mansons… but not for more than 5 minutes." He warned.

Daniel meekly nodded.

"Now get dressed. They arrive in half an hour." He disappeared into his own room.

Daniel closed his room and locked it tightly. He looked himself over in the mirror, seeing the same face he never really looked at. His baby blue eyes were still dulled, but they had a slight twinkle in them. The dark circles under his eyes were faintly there, for he was able to squeeze in some sleep at night. His once pale, bruised skin was almost completely healed, thanks to his healing abilities. He was able to button up his shirt properly, tying up his tie carefully. He brushed down his black jeans and cuffed the bottoms to keep them from dragging. He brushed the dust from his shoes, making sure they were perfectly shined. He took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his thick, wild hair, and plucked the collar of his shirt out.

"Here goes nothing." He whispered, exiting the room.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Your house looks to be in perfect shape," Pamela commented her brother, as he was giving her and her husband and daughter a tour of the mansion. Her husband, Jeremy, looked on and nodded approvingly while their daughter walked along, already bored. Her violet eyes stared at her uncle with the opposite gesture her father had given him. She was personally uninteresting in her Uncle Vlad's riches, even so, her own.

"Samantha?" Vlad turned to his niece with a questioning frown on his face. "What seems to be troubling you?" He asked.

Samantha rolled her eyes and sighed. "This place is nice and all, but don't you have anything… fun, Uncle Vlad? I mean, it's pretty boring here." She replied, staring at her long, black fingernails.

Unlike her parents, Samantha didn't wear the same clothing as they did. She wore a black and purple decorative flared dress with black, metallic boots. Her sleeves were a fishnet style with fingerless gloves on her hands. Her shiny, black hair flowed down her shoulders and back. Her eyes coordinated perfectly with the purple in her dress and eyeshadow on her eyelids. She had a gothic feel to her personality.

"Well, Samantha," She frowned at the use of her full name. "What do you want to see?" Vlad asked.

She looked around for a minute, before asking, "Do you have any children here? Someone about… my age?"

Pamela gave Vlad a glare, mouthing to him. "Tell her!"

Vlad narrowed his eyes, replied inaudibly, "Why should I?"

Samantha noticed her mother and uncle going at it, and raised an eyebrow. "What are you two doing?" She asked cautiously.

"Vlad, why don't you _introduce _a certain member of this household to her?" Pamela suggested, still glaring at her brother.

Vlad growled angrily and sighed. "Very well, sis. Samantha, follow me." He gestured her towards the kitchen. She gave him a small smile and followed him into the kitchen. "So… who do you have here, Uncle Vlad?" She asked, as they reached the kitchen.

Vlad opened the door and replied, "See for yourself."

Samantha peeked through the door, her eyes widening in amazement. A boy, about the same age as her, was at the stove, heating a pot of tea. He was dressed nicely, but the clothes just didn't seem to fit him. He looked more like the… laid back type. But when he turned around, she saw the most beautiful thing her eyes had ever seen:

His icy, baby blue eyes.

She couldn't help but gasp out loud. "His eyes…" was all she could say. They hid perfectly behind his long, messy black hair. His somewhat pale complexion seemed to glow in the light as he moved from one end of the kitchen to another.

"That's Daniel, the dangerous little imbecile that your mother forced me to introduce to you." Vlad scoffed in disgust. Samantha looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean, Uncle Vlad?" She asked. After all, he looked pretty intelligent to her.

"Trust me, Samantha, when he arrived here, he was kicking and screaming, making a scene, no doubt." He continued. "Ever since, he's been nothing but a menace. I would have given him up for adoption, but after I… 'Straighten' him out; he seemed to be the perfect…_ help_." He chuckled darkly, emphasizing the words 'help' and 'straighten'.

Samantha frowned a little. She knew her uncle was up to something. But before she could ask, her parents were behind them. "Ready for tea, my dear?" Vlad asked his sister, giving her an acknowledging smile. Pamela nodded. She was relieved that Vlad seemingly introduced him to his niece.

"Did you meet Daniel?" She asked her. Samantha glanced up at Vlad, who gave her a smirk. "Uh… yeah. He seems nice." She said nonchalantly.

"That's nice." She replied. She turned to Vlad and asked, "Are the tea and gingerbread cookies ready?"

Vlad nodded causally. "Daniel is right in the kitchen. Shall we?" He allowed them to enter first and followed behind.

Daniel was setting the plate of gingerbread cookies in the middle of the table. He poured 4 cups of tea for everyone as they sat down. "Thank you, Daniel." Pamela said sincerely. Daniel nodded and walked back to the stove, switching it off.

"So, about the business…" Vlad began. That was Samantha's cue to drown out the adults and their boring conversation about business and entrepreneurship. She picked up her teacup and stood from the table. "May I be excused?" She asked. Her mother nodded and went back the the conversation.

Samantha walked off and causally left the kitchen. Strangely enough, Daniel disappeared as well.

She walked down the hallway, sipping her tea. "Hello?" She called out. She eased opened a few doors out of curiosity, finding the bathroom, Vlad's room and the pantry.

Finally, she stopped at a door that seemed to catch her attention. She glanced around before jiggling the knob, finding in locked. "That's odd," She whispered to herself. She took one last look around before igniting her finger with an electrical charge and picking the lock with her fingernail. She unlocked the door and eased it opened.

"Hello?" Samantha called out again. She walked in, only to find an empty white room with a dirty pillow and a blanket. A small dresser sat on the other side of the room, followed by a mirror just above it. A window lay just above the 'bed'.

"_This must be Daniel's room…" _She thought to herself. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror as she spotted the bloody writing on the walls. She slowly walked over the wall and read the first lines of the writing:

_I've never felt any kind of happiness in my heart._

_I've never even felt joy or compassion in my soul._

_It's like… something died inside me; something that may never return. _

"Damn…" she whispered to herself. Suddenly, the door slammed behind her. Her eyes widening in fear, too afraid to turn around.

"So… you found me, huh?" A dark voice whispered. Samantha didn't recognize the voice, but for some reason, it sounded familiar. She finally took a deep breath and turned around, seeing the beautiful boy standing in front of her.

"Uh… hi. I-I was just-" She tried to explain, but Daniel cut her off. A dark scowl etched his face. "I know who you are," He slowly approached her as she backed away slowly. "You're Master's niece. You're the one he was actually trying to impress." If you didn't hear his voice before, you'd think his eyes were somewhat of a clue. Now, his voice was dark and brutal.

"S-sorry… I-I just wanted to-"Samantha tried to search for words, but Daniel pointed a finger at her. "Let me speak." He demanded.

Samantha held her breath, waiting for him to speak.

Daniel sighed. He sat down across from her. "Do you really want to know?" He whispered.

She nodded.

"Well… what do you want to know?" He asked, resting his arms across his legs.

Samantha thought for a second before cautiously asking, "Uncle Vlad called dangerous and… a monster. Why?" Her last word died into a whisper. Daniel closed his eyes and sighed, unaware that his eyes burned neon green for a second. He finally replied, "He doesn't see me like your parents do. He just… treats me like the 'hired' help, minus the pay. I do everything around here: clean, cook and even serve him in any way I can."

She thought for a second before she continued. "Does he hurt you?"

That question caught him off guard.

"No… why?" He said in a deeper, hoarse voice. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to grow with fatigue along with his responses. He moved his knees closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rested his chin on his knees, awaiting her answer.

"Because… look at your arm."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise. "What about it?" He snapped, pulling down the sleeve of his shirt to hide the bruise. "That was just an accident." He lied.

"Really?" Samantha said in an unsure voice.

"Yep. That sucks, huh?" He said.

She nodded once more.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Anything else you'd like to know?"

"No, Danny."

Suddenly, Daniel shot up, which slightly frightened her. He walked up to her, staring at her face to face. "What did you call me?" He hissed.

"I-I just called you Danny… I'm sorry if I offended you." She whispered.

Daniel dropped his glare and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry… It's just… my mother called me 'Danny', so did my foster mother when I was younger." He whispered solemnly. He turned away from her, but felt a hand pull at his. He looked up, seeing Samantha's eyes staring into his. "Do you prefer Daniel?"She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. He finally looked up, a small smile placed on his lips for the first time since he met her. "Yeah, I'd like that." He replied.

Suddenly, her next action surprised him. She pulled him into her arms, giving him a warm, heartfelt hug. Slowly, Daniel wrapped his own arms around her. It was the first time in so many years that he ever felt another person touching him gently, even into a hug.

It felt… special.

Once they pulled away from their embrace, he smiled fully and said, "Sorry about before. Would you like to start over?" She nodded and took his hand, gently shaking it. "I'm Samantha, but please… call me Sam because Samantha just sounds so…" She curled her lips at the name is disgust.

Daniel chuckled. "Hey, whatever works for you is good. I'm Danny."

(A/N- I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your reading, but this is the point when I refer Daniel and Samantha as 'Danny' and 'Sam', just like in the show.)

Sam smiled, but it disappeared as she noticed the bloodied writing on the wall once again. She walked over to the pale, white wall and carefully fingered the writing. "What's this about? Why'd you write it?" she asked, turning back to him.

Danny walked beside her. He placed his own hand on the wall. "Well…" He began. He started reading the words on the wall:

"_I've been to about 20 foster homes. Not one of them wanted me. Probably because I was useless. One after another they misused me, discarded me and hurt me. _

_My first foster home has the kindest lady who ever lived. Her name was Alyssa Chapelton, but she preferred me to call her mother. _

_Anyway, she would always care for me. She fed me, washed me, tended to me when I was sick, helped me with my schoolwork, even tucked me in at night. _

_Yeah, she was a true angel from Heaven…"_

Sam stared at him in wonder and pain. "Danny…" She whispered, touching his shoulder gently. He pushed away and said, "Let me finish."

"_Afterwards, they all hurt me. One by one, home by home, they didn't treat me like he did, but they hurt me bad._

_They made my outlook on the world worse than what it really is."_

Danny knew he skipped the part where Mr. Chapelton abused and raped him, but he'd go back to that some other time. Sam of course with her intelligence and curiosity, noticed this and asked, "Why did you skip the other part?" Before he could stop her, she went to the wall and read on:

"_But her husband, yes, her husband._

_He was a true bastard from Hell._

_Little did she know, but when she'd go out and run errands for only a little while, he'd stay and 'take care of me'. Then, behind closed doors, he did the most ruthless, vile and terrible things to me both physically and mentally that I can't even repeat them. _

_Because of him, I am immune to pain._

_Because of him, I was afraid of everyone and everything that day. _

_Because of him, I'm no longer 'clean', so to speak._

_Because of him, I never saw Alyssa again."_

Sam's jaw dropped, absolutely shocked by what she read. "He did this to you? He _raped _you??" She whispered in pure disgust and hatred. Danny nodded. He felt the tears well up in his eyes by remembering the horrible day, but he shook them away. "Yes. My first foster father hurt me… permanently." He said in a low voice. His eyes were well away from her.

They stood silent for a while until Sam finally asked, "How old were you?"

"What?"

"How old were you, Danny?"

"Why?"

"Because I need and want to know, Daniel James Fenton!" She cried out. But as soon as she said his name, she quickly covered her mouth.

Danny's eyes shot up, staring at her with nothing but shock. "W-what did you say?" He stammered.

"Uh… how old were you?" She said meekly.

"No," Danny walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and knelt to her level. "What was my name?"

Sam finally sighed and said, "I called you Daniel James Fenton."

Danny released her and turned his back to her. "Who's last name is Fenton?" He whispered, his eyes tightly closed.

She thought for a moment, before she said, "My mother knew a classmate of hers named Madeline Fenton. They weren't really close friends, but they knew each other well. One day, she found out that she died in an accident. It was the last time they spoke to each other." She pulled out a picture from her wallet and held it out to Danny. He took the picture and studied it for a minute. There were a group of teenagers, at what seemed like to be a beach. A girl with short, blond hair and pretty teal eyes had her arm wrapped around her friend, a broad smile placed on her face. Her friend had beautiful, long brown hair that tickled the sides of her bare shoulders. Her eyes were almost shut, because she was laughing so hard, but her eyes could still be seen. They were the most beautiful Amethyst eyes he ever saw. She resembled someone familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Finally, Danny handed her the picture and she put it away. "Do you know who she was?" She asked. Danny nodded, knowing that he actually saw the woman before outside the picture, but…

He couldn't remember where.

"Are you ever going to answer my question?" Sam asked once again, this time annoyed. Danny sighed. "Fine, you really wanna know?"

She nodded.

"I was… four years old." He was extremely quiet with his response. He finally fell to his knees and lowered his head. Sam didn't hesitate. She knelt down to him and rubbed his back gently. "Oh, Danny…" She whispered. He finally broke down and fell into her embrace, soaking her shirt with his tears. She placed her chin on his head, stroking his soft, ebony black hair. She allowed him to sob into her arms a while, rocking him gently back and forth.

"It hurt me…" He whimpered in between sobs.

"I promise to protect you Danny…"

But before she continued, she pulled him away, brushing his hair from his eyes. She stared into those gleaming, emotion-filled baby blue gems.

"Have you ever had a friend before?"

He shook his head.

She pulled him into her chest once more and whispered.

"I'm your first."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Those two have been gone for quite a while, now." Pamela said, with a smirk on her face. She knew that Danny and Sam would get better acquainted with each other, but not for so long. Vlad remained in the dining room, absently sipping his tea. "I'm sure they're doing fine." He brushed it off, not caring, really.

"Well, I'm sure they'd like a snack right about now." She picked up the plate of remaining gingerbread cookies and left her husband and brother at the table to chat some more.

Meanwhile, Danny and Sam were still in his room, fast asleep on the floor. After Danny was able to cry himself out, he gently fell asleep with his head rested in her lap. She went to sleep as well, just a few minutes after him. He absently draped his arm across her chest and on her shoulder while Sam placed her arms around his body and crossed her legs over him. They looked so peaceful together.

Pamela quietly opened the door. She spotted the two, a warm smile creeping on her lips. She was about to whisper, 'awww', when she remembered how her daughter hated being woken up. But she leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder. Sam blinked her eyes open, glanced at her mother. "Hey, mom," She mumbled, stretching her arms.

"I see you too were getting to know each other better," She whispered, a gentle smirk placed on her lips. Sam looked down at Danny, who was still asleep in her arms. A deep blush covered her face when he snuggled in her lap and smiled unconsciously.

"Is it time to go?" She quickly asked, gently pushing Danny off her and onto his blanket. Pamela nodded and led her daughter out of the room. But before she left, she walked over to Danny and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "See you later… Danny." She returned to her mother and closed the door behind her.

"You really like him, huh?" She asked, pulling her close. Sam looked down, the blush never leaving her cheeks. "He's my friend. And… that's all I really see him as… a new close friend." She said.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That evening, after the Mansons left a while ago, Danny slowly woke up. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, glancing around the darkened room. He slowly stood up and walked to the door, carefully opening it. He peeked out into the hallway. A faint light came from the kitchen, but the rest of the house was dark, besides the diminishing sunlight outside. He walked out and closed the door behind him. He walked down the hall, hearing music in the pantry. "Master?" He called, tiptoeing to the pantry. He knew he was walking into danger, but he just had to wonder why Vlad hadn't woken him for dinner.

He stepped into the doorway, seeing Vlad sitting by the window. He was smoking a cigar and setting down a glass of white wine. This was his evening ritual. "Daniel… come in." He whispered, not turning to him. Danny slowly walked a little into the room, but Vlad motioned him by his side. Danny walked over to the man, standing beside him. "Y-yes, Master?" He said, placing his hands behind his back.

Vlad sat down the glass. "Do you know why I called you here?" He whispered. Danny shook his head. "Why, Master?" He asked.

Before he knew it, Vlad grabbed his shirt and clutched his neck. "Listen here: I want you to stay away from my niece. She wants nothing to do with you!" He slammed his back into the wall, creating a small crack. Danny looked up, a dark, unfamiliar glare on his face. He pushed Vlad roughly off him and stood a fierce fighting position. After his encounter with Sam, he finally gained his new found courage.

"What the hell did you just do?" Vlad hissed, his eyes burning crimson red. "After today, I realized something…" Without thinking, he pulled his arms up and swirled water from thin air. He created a water whip and slapped him across the face. Vlad fell back into the chair, causing it to topple over.

"You shouldn't have done that, Daniel…" Before he knew it, Vlad shot him with a pink ball of fire. Danny tried to counteract it, but he ended up falling back into the table. His chest burned as he tried to stand up. "Can you listen to me for once?!" He shouted. He grabbed him by the arms with another water whip and pushed him down. Vlad sighed. He tried to turn the water into vapor, but failed. "Very well, Daniel. I will listen."

Danny was taken by surprise, but he quickly tore his stunned reaction away.

"Number one: please don't keep me away from Samantha. I never had a real friend before and… she's the first." His voice died into a whisper. Vlad sighed angrily, but nodded. "Go on," He said.

"And number two: call me Danny."

That made Vlad cross the line.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Daniel." He hissed. He broke from the whip and disappeared. Danny's eyes widened in shock. "What-" But before he could say anymore, he felt a electrical surge pass through him. His body fell limp as Vlad reappeared. He held the boy's limp form and carried him off into the other unoccupied bedroom. He sat him down and hissed. "You make that mistake again, Daniel. I won't go so easy on you."

With that, he closed the door behind him. "Sweet dreams… _Danny_."

***dies* XD Okay, I finally got Chapter 5 finished! Yay! (dances) Anyway, get ready for chapter 6! In that chapter, Sam pays Danny another visit, but this time it's unexpected. She's gonna tell him about her past and he's gonna tell her about his most painful memory- but it won't be easy. In a few more chapters (probably in Chapter 8), he's gonna meet Tucker (see, all the characters are in the story! XD) They won't really be friends until the next two chapters after that. So… read and review! I'll have Chapter 6 up by either Thursday or Friday. **


	7. Chapter Six: Past Malice

**Chapter Six: Past Malice**

**Okay, I'm trying to get a head start on chapter six today, so I can update it soon. This chapter's about Sam secretly meeting up with Danny on Saturday morning in Masters' backyard. They meet up in the gazebo where they can talk privately. Sam tells him of her painful memories throughout her childhood and she tries to coax Danny to tell about his, but she'll regret it when he gives her every detail of what happened. Rated for violence, child abuse, and graphic rape. Also, this chapter isn't rated M quite, but it's about… 15+ for older teens. (I'm almost 15 XD) You have been warned. XD But enjoy, read and review, please!**

"Daniel! Get over here!" Vlad cried out from the living room. Danny walked in, his face already blacked with dirt. He spent the entire morning rearranging and planting flowers in the garden. It took him about 3 hours, starting at around 5 in the morning to finish up.

"Yes, Master?" He asked, playing with the miniature shovel in his hand. Vlad yanked the shovel away and tossed it outside. "I need you to tend to the house while I'm gone- that means, by the time I return tonight for dinner around six, you'd better be finished with everything. Then, after you eat, you may retire to your room. Understand?" He explained.

Danny nodded. He knew his entire day would be wasted by cleaning, cooking, and whatever else needed to be done. He only wished there were some way he could get away from it all.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the telephone rang. Vlad walked over to the phone. "Hello?"

Already uninterested with the conversation between whoever was on the other line, Danny went to pick up the shovel and return to his work.

"Daniel, you filth! Come here!" Vlad shouted, covering his hand over the receiver. Danny sighed and reentered the room, with a questioning, yet annoyed look on his face. "Yes, Master?" He said again. "I thought I'd never say this but… here. It's for you." He handed him the phone. "It's Samantha." With that, he grabbed his car keys and exited the room. "I'll be leaving soon."

Danny stared at the phone for a second. He wasn't sure what to say to Sam after yesterday and their first meeting. He took a deep breath before pulling the phone to his ear and said, "Hello?"

"_Hey, Danny. You remember me, right?" _Sam asked, with a twinge of humorous sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, duh. Of course I do." Danny replied, with the same tone.

"_Well, Danny… I was wondering… do you want to meet up with me today?"_

"Well, I dunno… I'm not allowed to have company, plus M- I mean, your uncle, is going to be out for the day." Danny said, hesitating for a moment. He knew that if he didn't finish his work, let alone follow orders about staying away from Vlad's niece, he'd be beaten even worse than before.

"_C'mon, Danny. You're my friend and I really wanna hang out with you. It'll be just our day, and I promise that you'll have everything finished up today." _She reassured him. Danny was still reluctant after he slipped out "okay." and hung up. He perched the shovel against the wall before leaning against the wall himself. "Damn… I'm really gonna pay for this." He whispered. He went closet, grabbed a broom and began heading out to the doorstep to brush it off.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey, Danny." Sam said in an unusual cheerful voice.

Danny felt a soft smile creep up on his face as eh stared at his new friend. She couldn't look even more beautiful than yesterday, if that was even possible. Her lavender blouse was caressed below her shoulders and a black skull design was decorated over the chest. Her black jeans hung loosely over her lower waist, almost appearing too big for her. A gold and platinum chain with another diamonded skull hung from her belt. Her black metallic boots peeked from under the legs. If you didn't look at her shirt, she would've appeared as a tomboy goth. Her long, shiny black hair glided over her shoulders and her violet eyes complimented her entire outfit.

"You look really pretty," Danny said, a shy blush forming on his face. Sam looked down and smiled, a blush also appearing on hers. "Thanks." She whispered.

Danny, on the other hand, figured that he couldn't compare his appearance to hers. He looked down at his own white, button-down t-shirt with the sleeves pulled up; a black tie that he basically stole from Vlad and painted white and neon green x's all over it. He didn't want to look sloppy in front of her, so he tucked it in his blue jeans, which had worn holes in the knees and ripped at the bottom. A black belt hung loosely from his waist and his checkered skater black and white shoes were a size too big.

"You look really nice, too." She said. He was about to reply, when he noticed the troubled look on her face. "What's wrong?" He asked curiously. He watched her circle him for a moment before pulling out his tucked shirt and loosening his tie. "It doesn't look like you," She said. She removed the belt and tossed it aside. He felt much comfortable without the tighten feeling in his clothing. "Thanks." He said.

"Do you… I dunno, wanna hang out in the garden?" He asked, motioning her to the backyard. Sam nodded and followed him outside.

All the times she's been to her uncle's house, she never realized what a beautiful garden he had. Just like Danny was, she too was mesmerized by the thousands of flowers, trees and various other plants that grew in the backyard. She followed her eyes to the fancy gazebo rested in the middle of the garden.

"Over there," She gestured towards the gazebo. Danny smiled. That was one of the only fond memories he shared with Vlad once before.

It was the only time he could feel real.

Danny followed Sam to the gazebo. Her boots made a comforting clicking sound when they hit the white wood. She sat cross-legged on the floor while Danny balanced himself on the ledge and crossed his legs over the railing. She raised a curious eyebrow at him and asked, "Doesn't that hurt?"

Danny shrugged. "Things have hurt worse that this. I'll be fine." He reassured her.

For a while, the two teenagers remained silent. The sound of faint chirping and the wind blowing were the only things that occupied the deaf space.

"So…" Sam said, playing with the bracelet around her wrist. "Is there anything on your mind?" She asked.

Danny sighed. "I want you to go first."

"You sure?"

"Trust me; it'd be best if you do."

Sam took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll start. But my experiences aren't nearly as bad as yours.

"Well, a few months ago, I turned 15 years old. I might be older than you, right?"

Danny nodded.

"Anyway, my parents knew I was of marrying age. I told them I didn't want to be married yet; I'm still somewhat of a kid. But by my great-great grandfather, who used to own this place, ruled that girls of 15 years old are to marry and have a groom selected for her.

"My father went out and found one of the noblemen's sons one day. His name's Gregory and he's really attractive, but… over the past few months that I've met him- he's been aggressive."

Danny held his hand up. "Wait- what do you mean by 'aggressive'?"

Sam's eyes went downcast. She hesitated for a moment before pulling her sleeve up and showing a large bruise. "That's what I mean."

Fire grew in Danny's eyes. For a second, he could've sworn that his eyes glowed neon green. He shook the feeling away and asked, "He beats you?!"

She nodded. "I tried to get away from him one afternoon. We had an argument and I really wanted to leave him alone before I became aggressive, myself. He grabbed me by my arm and punched me. Then, he pushed me against the wall and whispered, 'What I'm about to do to you- never and I mean I _never _tell anyone.' Then, he beat me several more times before he grew tired and quit. He led me to the infirmary and lied, saying I accidentally fell down the stairs. After that, I cried in my room silently, so my mother wouldn't hear me. I'm her 'entire world' so to speak. She loves me so much and…" Before she knew it, she began crying.

At first, Danny was surprised to see her cry. He figured that a strong girl like would never cry. Then again-

Maybe that made her even stronger.

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'd rather stop?" He asked in a soft voice.

She quickly wiped away the tears and took a deep breath. "No, I'm okay."

Danny returned to his spot on the railing and sat down once again.

She continued. "Well, I didn't tell anyone about what Gregory was doing, so I let it go for a while. He stopped in that span of time, but just before I paid my visit to Uncle Vlad, he took me aside and told me not to mention anything about what he was doing and to tell how 'happy' I'm supposed to be when we got married. But Danny…" She stared into his eyes. "I can't marry a man who wants me to hide everything and hurts me. I can't be with him, but…. I have no choice, do I?"

Danny stood from the railing once more and this time, knelt beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You have to stand up for yourself, Sam. Even if everyone in the world doesn't believe you, there are two people that will- your mother…and me." He said reassuringly.

Sam smiled through her oncoming tears and hugged him gently.

"Now," She said, pulling away from their embrace. "It's your turn."

Danny spread his legs out. "Well… when I was four…"

_Flashback: 10 years ago_

"_Danny sweetheart… come here!" Alyssa called out to the four-year-old boy._

_Danny skidded into the hallway, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He stopped right in front of her. "Yes, mommy?" He asked, grabbing her by the legs._

_Alyssa smiled at the child and lifted him in her arms. "Hey, sweetheart," She tickled him with her delicate fingers, causing Danny to giggle hysterically._

_Alyssa laughed at his amusement and swung him around, causing him to squeal in delight. She finally sat him down and whispered, "I'll be back, okay?"_

_Danny's smile fell. He knew she meant that she was going to leave him alone with…_

_Him._

"_But mommy! Please can I go with you??" He whined, pulled her by the arm. "I never get to go with you!"_

"_Baby," She knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be back, I promise. Besides, Daddy's gonna take good care of you." She reassured him. She stood up and was about to leave, when Danny cried out, "But he does things, Mommy! He-" Before he could finish, a large shadow hung over him. He looked up, seeing the face of the enemy himself, Mr. Chapelton. "Don't worry, sweetie." He walked over to his wife and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "He'll be alright, baby. I'll take good care of him." He smiled and glanced at Danny, with a brief smirk on his face._

_Danny's eyes widened in fear. He knew the one he was forced to call 'Daddy' was going to do something painful to him; like beat for torture him in any way possible. _

_Today, he knew, was going be worse._

"_W-what are we g-going t-t-o do today, Daddy?" He whispered, his voice shaken and stirred._

_Mr. Chapelton grinned. "Well… I have a new game for us to play today. I think you'll… love it." He reached over and grabbed Danny by the wrist. He jerked away, but was dragged towards the stairs. "No!" He cried, clutching onto the stair rail. He pried his fingers away and continued dragging him along. They reached the hallway and tossed opened the door to his mother's bedroom. _

"_Now… are you ready for the 'game' we're gonna play?" Mr. Chapelton hissed. Before Danny could wiggle out of his grasp, he pushed him into the wall, causing his fragile body to endure pain. He backed away from the enemy, covering his face with his hands. "P-please don't beat me today," He whimpered, tears appearing in his eyes. He wanted to cry so badly, but he knew he couldn't._

"_But Danny… I just want to play with you…" He tossed Danny onto the large bed. Before he could escape, he pinned the boy's arms down. "You're not getting away from me. I'm gonna make sure you go through Hell no matter what. And I'll do it… by force." He pulled his knees over to Danny, to make sure he wasn't able to escape. "Daddy, please! Don't do this!" He cried, thrashing his arms around. He tried so hard to yank his way out of his grip, but it was hopeless. At one point, when he screamed for help, his 'daddy' slapped him across the cheek- hard. He could still feel the sting as he hissed, "Now you listen, you little bitch- you will be quiet for the rest of the time and you __will __ enjoy it, understand?"_

_All Danny could do was nod his head and continue crying silently. He kept his eyes closed as he could feel deep kisses pressing on the face, neck, and chest. Suddenly, his eyes were wide opened when he felt larger lips being pressed against his. "N-no…" He tried to say, but his calls were blocked by a harsh "Shut up." He dug his tongue deeper into his mouth, playing with Danny's. Tears ran down Danny's face as he tried to push his tongue further into his mouth, protecting the pain from becoming any worse._

_Finally, their lips broke apart, leaving the boy gasping for breath. His fragile chest rose up and down rapidly, his heart beating furiously. A heavy hand rested on his chest as he tried to breathe in the pleasant air. "That's better, isn't it?" His 'daddy' whispered. Danny nodded, praying that he would stop right now. "A-are you g-gonna let m-e g-go…?" He stuttered, trying not to cry anymore. The man grinned. "Not quite just yet. I've only touched the upper part of your body. But let's see how much you've… grown."_

_Even though he was a young child, Danny knew what he meant. Without thinking, he struggled once more away from his grasp. "Daddy, no! I can't! He cried, pushing away from him. 'Daddy' punched him as hard as he physically could in the chest. That made Danny fall to the bed once more, the rough sheets brushing his tender skin. "You __will __do what I say and you __will __cooperate, got it?!" He demanded. Danny nodded, clutching the sheets with his fingers. "Yes." He whispered inaudibly. _

_He closed his eyes once more, this time, trying not to feel the pain that was coming. He felt his jeans being unbuttoned and sliding down his waist. "Please…" He whispered once again, fresh tears trickling from his eyes. Mr. Chapelton grinned. "I knew you'd like it." He hissed, chuckled darkly. He slowly pulled his jeans down to his knees, revealing his white underwear briefs. "Your 'mother' dressed you nicely. It's too bad that I'm going to… 'undress' you," He whispered some more, a deeper and darker laugh entering his throat._

_No matter what he said, Danny kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see what was coming next. "Stop…" He whispered feebly before completely remained silent. He felt a finger pull at his underwear but remained still. If it got any worse, he swore his was going to pee himself, just like he did when he was afraid._

_Just like right now._

"_Now, Danny, be a good boy and hold still… oh, and open your eyes for Daddy, okay?" He whispered in ear, the harsh laugh finally escaping his vocal chords. At least something was about to escape this room today._

_Danny knew he couldn't opened his eyes, no matter what. He shook his head, his eyes remained tightly closed. Mr. Chapelton raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you don't wanna open them? Fine, I'll open them, myself!" He growled. He pried his eyes open, forcing Danny to stare at him. His baby blue eyes were washed out and reddened. His face was streaked with tears and his skin was pale. "Please… don't do this! You can't!" He cried, pleading with every ounce of his being._

"_Oh, but I can."_

_With that, Danny let out a horrified scream as his underwear was completely swiped off. "My, my, you have grown up," He mumbled, chuckled some more. He grinned at the sight of Danny, sweaty, crying and naked on the bed. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted it all to stop; he needed it to stop-_

_He wanted the nightmare to end._

"_Just you wait- if you dare tell anyone anything what I've done… you will regret it, understand?" He hissed. Danny nodded. All he could run through his mind was how hard it would be to go through life with this terrible event replaying in his mind, over and over again. "Besides," He said, running his finger along Danny's lower waistline. "They wouldn't believe you. You're just a kid and it's your word against mine. And if I say you 'agreed' to it… well, that wouldn't give you much of a story, huh? Tell them you wanted it; you hungered for the experience." He forced Danny's hand to his own waist. "Now, do what I did to you." He commented._

_Danny just stared up at him. Who did he take him for? He wasn't going to repeat what this son of a bitch did to him. He just… couldn't._

"_Do it, damn it! Do it, now!!" He screamed, pulling Danny's wrist up to his crotch and to the buttons. Danny slowly unbuttoned his jeans, crying the entire time. He pulled his pants down, trying not the touch any part of him. "Faster, damn it!" He screamed even louder. Danny pulled them down all the way and hung his own head. Tears fell on the bed as he curled up into a ball, crying._

_He smirked at the broken boy. He wasn't done, yet._

"_Now, the rest."_

_Danny's body froze. He knew what he meant by 'the rest'. But he just couldn't do it. The man was asking too much from a 4-year-old child._

"_I-I can't…" He whimpered. "I don't want this. I don't wanna do this!" He tried to push himself from the bed, but a hand grabbed his arm and forced him down once more._

"_You will do it and you will enjoy it." He said, his voice even darker than before. "Now, pull them down! Now!"_

_Danny closed his eyes and gripped his hands around the man's boxers. He pulled them down without opening his eyes. He quickly covered his eyes, trying not to take in the 'sight'._

"_What? You don't want to see your 'handy work'? You did a fine job, after all," His laugh lingered in the dark room, echoing through its empty space. _

_Danny shook his head. "Can I please go?" He whispered quietly, his eyes still covering with his hands._

_He stood up and pulled his clothes back on. "I suppose you can. Just… get dressed before you leave."_

_Danny quickly put his clothes on and ran from the room, crying._

_He just had to tell his mother-_

_He just _had_ to._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_Danny remained in his room, crying for the past two hours. He was heartbroken and scarred from the events that happened._

"_Danny?" He heard his mother call from the hallway. Danny tried to dry away the tears, but it was too much. When Alyssa walked into room, she gasped when she saw her baby boy crying in the corner. "Danny!" She ran over to him and grabbed him in her arms. "Oh, baby, what's wrong?" She whispered, stroking his hair gently._

"_He… hurt... me… b-but I was… and he… mommy…" Was all he managed to hiccup as he continued to sob freely in her chest._

_A worried frown etched Alyssa's face. "Who did what, sweetheart?" She questioned. Danny looked into her hazel eyes and took a deep breath. No matter what the consequences were, he was sure to tell his mother what happened. He remembered the word he heard once on television while watching a scary late-night TV show. It happened to a big kid, just like it happened to him. They found the man responsible and arrested him. After that, he was in jail for years._

"_Mommy… today, when you left, daddy dragged me upstairs, lay me on the bed… and raped me." He whispered, being sure he said the word right._

_Hatred and sadness grew in Alyssa's eyes. "He did __what__???" She cried in horror, hoping she didn't hear the word she thought she heard._

_Danny nodded. "Yes, daddy raped me. I'm so sorry, mommy." He grabbed her tighter into a hug. Alyssa began crying herself. She couldn't believe the man she loved all these years, had done something like this to their current child. Then, she knew what she had to do._

"_Stay here." She told Danny. He nodded and wiped away the tears from his eyes. He watched his mother walk off to confront her soon-to-be-ex husband about what he did._

_For the next several hours, Danny sat in a corner, listening to his foster parents yelling at each other. Alyssa was calling her husband harsh, bad words while Mr. Chapelton exchanged the same ones. A few minutes later, he could hear his mother dialing the phone and threatening to call the police. He heard a crash followed by a pained scream and a frantic voice talking on the phone._

_The events afterward took Mr. Chapelton in the back of the police car while Danny was led off by social workers to the foster care facilities. He saw Alyssa crying for him, calling his name and begging them to let her keep him. But after the events that happened in that house, they found in unsuitable for Daniel to ever live there again._

_For that day on, Hell was the only thing that welcomed Danny. He wasn't even Danny, anymore. From that day on, he was to be Daniel James, and that was it._

-,-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, my…"Was all Sam could utter out. She had no words for that story. Her lips were twisted in disgust when he described everything that happened. It was surprisingly horrifying that he remember everything from when he was only 4-years-old.

It was too much.

"Danny…" She reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away. "Please, don't sympathize me. I've already gotten over it." He sighed and stood up. "It's been so long since I've seen Alyssa. She was the best mother, besides my own, of course that I ever had. I… loved her." He could feel a tears fall down his cheek, but quickly wiped it away.

Sam closed her eyes and hugged him anyway. "It's over. You'll never go through that again." She consoled. "Yeah, but… I dunno, it just hurt me." Danny whispered, holding her hand.

"I know, Danny… I know."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After Sam went home, Danny was able to finish up all of his chores and retire to his room. He lay in the darkness in silence, hearing faint classical music from the pantry just down the hall. He stood up and walked over to the dresser. He grabbed the bag of butterscotch and sat down on the floor, pulling out five more. He was tempted to eat more that night, but he knew he couldn't. He unwrapped the golden paper and whispered, "This one's for my mother," He sucked on it for a while, before eating the next one. "One for my father," Then the third. "One for Alyssa," The fourth. "One for Sam," finally, he stared at the last butterscotch in his hand.

"I never thought I'd say this, but," He whispered before eating it-

"One for myself."

**HOLY MOTHER OF MERCY!!!!!! DUN KILL MEH! XD *shields face from rocks and bricks*lol Well, it took over two weeks, two computers to transfer this chapter to, but it's finished! I'll have chapter seven up and running by Wednesday, just give me until tomorrow to finish. Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I don't have wi-fi at home so my internet on my laptop doesn't work- for two weeks. XD Sucks, huh? Anyway, everything for the story is typed on my laptop and it took about 3 hours to transfer the writing from it to my home computer. Damn it, you'd better be nice in reviewing! XD The next chapter's not gonna have Danny, but Sam visits Tucker and talks about him. Let's just say, Tucker doesn't say the right things and gets in a lot of trouble with her… XD *element fight!* Also, there graphic stuff in there- sorry 'bout that ^^; I can't rate it M, because that 's the only sexual scene in the story (well, maybe one more later, but it's not really graphic XD) See you guys on Wednesday!**


	8. Chapter Seven: Frienemies

**Chapter Seven: Frienemies**

**Alright, I'm getting a head start on chapter seven so I can even out my update schedule. It's been way too rocky lately and now I'm ready! This is the chapter when Sam and Tucker are discussing Sam's new friend- Danny. Of course, Tucker hasn't met him yet, and being judgmental as he is, he doesn't trust Danny. He wants to protect his best friend, but unfortunately, he knows nothing about Gregory. Only Danny knows. Anyway, Danny's not gonna be in this chapter (I know, you feel bad XD) but he'll be in the next chapter, and he's gonna finally meet Tucker. But later- he's gonna meet Gregory and it won't be pretty. XP Read, review and enjoy! Oh, and thanks to all whom reviewed during my hiatus. BTW- Avatar fans- you're gonna love this chapter. Lots of bending and stuff. No Waterbending yet, fans, but I'll have it soon because water's my favorite element. :D Now, the story! XD**

"Hey, Tuck," Sam greeted her best friend when he came to the door. A boy, about the same age as her, with a chocolate complexion, bright, emerald green eyes, and a green hat covering his curly, black hair gave her a warm smile. "Hey, Sam; hello, Mr. and Mrs. Manson," He winked at his best friend, and gave a polite bow to her parents. They returned the gesture as he allowed them to enter his home.

Just like Sam and her parents, he owned a large home, somewhat like a mansion, but nothing compared to Vlad Masters' home. It also belonged to one of the top noblemen of the kingdom, his father. The Foleys own a high-end corporate business with the Masters' company, being the only few noblemen in the estate.

"C'mon," Tucker led her to his room, already uninterested in what the adults had to discuss. He opened his bedroom door and closed it behind her. Sam searched for a place to sit, due to the lack of chairs and the messiness everywhere. "Uh…" She was about to say, when he finally caught on.

"Oh, right." He chuckled, a little embarrassed by all the crap he had laying around. He picked up his cell phone, PDA, and a few books from a less clustered area, and pushed up a section of the floor with a quick jerk of his hands and a push of his feet. "There ya go, one custom made chair, at your service." Tucker gestured mockingly as he tossed himself on his bed.

Sam just shook her head and sat down. She knew her best friend was an earthbender, and often displayed it when she was around. "Do you have to do that every time I visit you?" She chuckled, watching him freely spin a couple of rocks in his hands. He let them down and crushed them into dust in his hands. "What? It's cool. Plus, I can't do it in public. My parents actually don't like the fact that I can earthbend." He sat up and walked over to his closet. Sam watched him carefully as he dug through the clutter of clothes, technology materials, and various other things that happened to fly out of there.

Finally, Tucker pulled out a block of metal. He managed to push everything back in the closet and made his over to her. "They don't know it, but I've been practicing more than my earthbending. Since most earthbenders, even the best, can't bend metal, I've been trying to teach myself. You're lucky, after all. Your mom's a firebender, and she's been teaching you most of your life." He explained. Sam watched him intensively as he focused shaping the block. He crushed it in his hands and reshaped it into a pyramid. Then, he formed it into a key, a sphere, and even into a mini metal sculpture of his best friend. She smiled as he handed her the masterpiece. "Cool! I can't believe you can do this all on your own," She commented.

Tucker smiled and just shrugged. "It's nothing, really. I've been earthbending since I was 9 years old. I discovered what I could do when I was 4, though." He said as he reshaped it back into a block and tossed it back in his closet.

Suddenly, Sam felt a twinge of sadness when he mentioned himself being 4 years old. She remembered the horrifying story Danny told her yesterday about him being raped when he was only four. After an entire day away from him, she still couldn't believe it.

"Um… Tucker? There's someone you really should meet," She said slowly. Tucker glanced up, a curious look in his eyes. "Who's that?" He asked, creating another chair next to her. He sat down and waited for her to answer.

She took a deep breath. "Well, you know my uncle, right?"

Tucker nodded. "Oh, sure. He and my parents work together and my dad's a nobleman of his,"

She nodded and continued. "Yes… and he recently adopted a boy… a few years ago. My parents and I went to visit my uncle a few days ago, and… I was able to meet the boy."

Suddenly, Tucker stood up, a frown etched on his face. "And what happened? Did he do anything? Did he hurt you?" He quickly asked, checking her arms for bruises.

Sam jerked her arm away, crying out, "No! He didn't! He'd never hurt me!" Her voice sunk into a whisper. "He went through too much, anyway. He's had a long life."

He slowly sat down. A questioning frown was still set on his face. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's he like? I mean, surely someone adopted by Mr. Masters himself must have an interesting past," He commented, resting his arm on his knee and tapping his foot.

Sam picked with her bracelet before answering. "He's been through a lot."

"How so?"

Sam remained silent for a moment before continuing, "Well… he wrote on the walls… with his blood."

A pained and slightly disturbed expression appeared on Tucker's face as she spoke. "He's been through Hell all his life. Everything that you can think of, he's been through. He's almost been murdered, almost committed suicide, almost killed his foster mother, both his parents, as far as he knows, died in a fire when he was a baby, no one's ever really loved him in years, he was taken away from his first foster mother because of what her husband did to him when he was four, he's been burned, beaten, and tortured forever… and Tucker…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "He's only 14 years old. He's not even our age, yet."

Silence crept through the room as Tucker tried to take in everything his best friend just told him. After a while, he asked, "What's his name?"

"Daniel James. After I met him, he prefers Danny. He hasn't gone by Danny in years." She replied.

"Damn…" was all he could whisper. Then he said, "Well, was he telling the truth?"

Sam's eyes widened. "What?" She whispered in disbelief.

Tucker just shrugged. He returned his chair back into a flat surface and lay back on his bed again. "Hey, my mom's head of security here. She may not know it, but I gained her ability to tell when people are lying. And this 'Danny' you're talking about… he's probably just after you. I mean, why else would he tell such a sob story?" Before Sam could reply, he asked, "I bet he told you he was raped as a child, right?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything! He was raped! I mean, who the hell lies about something that horrible?!" She cried out, standing up herself.

"Someone trying to fool you. Really, some guys just wanna tell you what you wanna hear so you'll be all peaches 'n' cream with them, then they can find the perfect time to strike so they can get down your pants." He finished, spinning some more rocks in the air.

Sam's eyes became darker and turned red with anger. "There is no chance in hell that Danny lied to me! He'd never do that! He was too real!" She screamed. A few sparks of lightning came from her body.

Tucker got up and held Sam by the shoulders. He looked into her eyes, which if looks could kill; he might be dead right now. "Look Sam, I'm only looking out for you. All guys out there aren't like Gregory, who actually cares about you. Plus, you just met the kid and you don't really know where he comes from."

Suddenly, Sam pushed him so hard, he fell to the floor. She lit two powerful electric beams in her hands. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT GREGORY!!!! NOTHING!!" She shot one of the purple beams at him. He nimbly dodged it by flipping over and running towards the window.

"Sam! Calm down! I'm just being reasonable! Plus, what's this about, 'I know nothing about Gregory? He's pretty cool, and-"At that instant, Tucker knew she shouldn't have said anything. Sam aimed another beam at him, this time catching his arm. He cried out in both surprise and pain and flipped over the window ledge and headed towards the ground. Sam followed suit and slid down the side of the large mansion, quickly catching up to him.

Tucker landed firmly, but gently onto the soft grass and ran through the backyard, leaping over rocks, plants and branches. Sam continued to shoot fire at him, causing him to dodge every attack the best way he could.

Running through the forest, Tucker climbed a tree nearby and leaped from branch to branch. Unfortunately for him, Sam could do the same. It came naturally to every element except water.

Finally unable to keep her off his tail in the trees, he headed to the solid ground once more. He created a circle with his foot on the ground and pushed up the earth, using the ground as skates. He pushed the earth forward as fast as he could, his arms pumping hard and he continued running. Not too far behind, Sam was running as fast as she could, shooting fire and tossing insults at the boy.

Finally, Tucker ran into a dead end brick wall, and stopped bending. "Oh, crap!" He moaned to himself. His eyes widened when Sam stopped in front of him.

A malicious grin lay on her lips as she slowly walked over to him. "Now, you're gonna take back what you said, about both Danny and Gregory because neither the things you've said about either of them are true." She said, in a too-calm voice. Tucker held his hands up. "Sam, you don't have to go crazy on me!" He cried.

"Only if you take it back!"

"Very well," Tucker held a fight stance. "I guess this is our first big fight. But hey, everyone gets into a fight with their best friends, right?"

Sam lit two fired daggers in her fists, while Tucker readied two boulders next to him. Their eyes were in locked combat; watching which of them was to make the first move. Amethyst met emerald.

Then, it began.

Sam threw the first dagger right at Tucker's face, but he quickly created a rock shield in front of him. The fire burned out against the rock. Tucker launched a boulder at her, careful not to hurt her too badly. Sam was about to dodge it, but she wasn't fast enough. The boulder crashed into her and she flew back into a tree. Tucker winced at the actions. He didn't want her hurt that badly. Sam recovered from the attack, though. She stood up, a frown pasted on her eyebrows. She wiped the blood dripping from her lips and fired a larger attack on him, this time a ring of fire. Tucker pushed himself up and tumbled through the hoops, but the last one caught his leg and burned him. He fell to the ground on his back, wincing in pain. At that point, he wished he were a waterbender. They could recover from most injuries quickly.

Sam launched another series of fire attacks at him. Despite his leg, he stood up and fired several more attacks, as well. He created a tall rock and sliced it away, tossing the sliced pieces at her. Sam merely jumped out of the way as they flew past her. She fired more fireballs at him while he attacked. At a point, she lit one of the earth slices on fire and tossed it right back at him. Fortunately, he avoided this and continued attacking.

The battle seemed endless, as the two elements clashed together. Both teens were becoming sweaty, injured and tired, but refused to let the other win.

Finally, when she realized this was going nowhere, Sam unleashed her most powerful attack: her redirect lightning move. She's only used it in practice, but from what her mother taught her, only firebenders could redirect it.

And Tucker was no firebender.

She charged up her fingers, pressing her index and middle fingers side by side. She took a deep breath and pushed her right arm towards Tucker's chest. She closed her left eye to focus on her target better. "Someone's gonna win this battle, that's sure as hell." She whispered. The lightning became stronger and she could feel the energy flow through her body. "Get ready; because this is gonna be your most 'electrifying' experience you'll ever face!" She shouted, an evil laugh escaping her throat.

Tucker's eyes widened in horror as he stopped attacking. This wasn't Sam; someone- or some_thing _was possessing her. "Sam, you have to get a hold of yourself! This isn't you talking! I know what I said wasn't… appropriate, but I'm sorry! Whatever I said, I take it all back! Please, just calm down before you do something you'll regret." He tried reaching her.

The smile never escaped her lips. "Too late for that. Time for you to bend yourself a grave because it's time to say goodbye, Foley."

Lightning escaped her fingers and headed straight for the desired death spot. Tucker quickly created another earth shield and placed it in front of him. The lightning created a large explosion against the shield and pieces of earth flew everywhere.

Sam's eyes returned to normal as she fell to the ground, completely out of energy. She weakly searched for Tucker. To her horror, he was laying on the ground a few feet away from her, pieces of the rocks surrounding him. His face was dirty from all the debris and his skin was bruised and scratched. Blood began to seep from some of them.

She stood up and ran over to him. "Tucker!" She cried, knelling by his side. She placed a hand on his chest, letting out a sigh of relief when he was still breathing. Tears fell from her eyes and she carefully lifted half his body in her arms.

Suddenly, a weak groan came from his unmoving form. She pulled him away and whispered, "Tucker?" He slowly opened his eyes and coughed a little, smiling at her. "Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did ya?" He whispered, chuckled a bit.

She gave him a warm smiled and hugged him gently. "I'm so sorry, Tucker. I mean, I don't know what happened, I just became angry, then I lost control and I-"She was cut off by him. "Sam… I know it wasn't you." He whispered, stroking her hair with his uninjured hand.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know you didn't mean it and neither did I," She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I know, and I'm still sorry." He replied.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, when am I gonna meet this mystery crush of yours?" Tucker teased as Sam was helping him clean up his injuries. She rolled her eyes and blushed a little. "He's not my crush. He's just my new friend, that's all. He's really sweet." She replied. She cleaned up another gash on his shoulder with some peroxide and tied it with bandages.

Tucker just chuckled and said, "Hey, whatever you say. So, when are you seeing him again?"

"Well, when are your parents preparing to visit the Masters' estate?" Sam asked in a mild tone in her voice. Tucker just shook his head and smiled. He knew that voice meant she had a plan. "Alright, what is it?"

"What?"

"Your plan?"

Sam punched him lightly in his back. "You know me too well," She laughed. "I was just gonna go with you and your parents to visit my uncle so you can meet Danny. That's all, really," She explained. She handed him a pack of bandages so she could sanitize a few more of his cuts. "I didn't have a well-thought out plan. Just simple, that's all."

Tucker thought about it for a moment before replying, "Well, I guess that's okay, just as long as my parents go along with it- and yours." He handed her back the bandages so she could wrap up his arm. He winced a little as she moved along his back, one of the most heavily pained areas of his body. He moved his leg a little, feeling the singed of it burning even more. He slammed his other heel into the floor, creating a mini stool to levitate his leg.

Sam paused from her actions and gave him a worried glance. "You okay?" She asked. He nodded. "Just… my leg, that's all."

She bent over to get a better view of his leg. To her horror, the back of his leg was black, red and swollen. A few layers of skin were gone, already burnt off. "Tucker… I'm so sorry." She whispered, holding his leg in her hands. He just shrugged. "Hey, it's alright. I mean, you're my best friend; I could never be angry at you for too long," He rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Here, I'll try to fix it the best way I can, but I'll need a waterbender to completely heal it." She cleaned up the burn carefully, patting it with cool water. She put a moist cream on it so it wouldn't get infected. Then, she wrapped the bandages over it and stood up. "There, you're all set." She helped him up and led him back to his room.

"Are you sure you don't need to patch up, yourself?" Tucker asked, sitting on his bed. She shook her head and sighed. "No, I'm alright. You just… rest up and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Tucker lightly chuckled and lay down. Before she left, he remembered something she said before their battle. "Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"About Gregory… does he… I dunno… do anything to you? I mean, you were pretty serious about what I said about him."

Sam played with her bracelet once more. Tucker raised an eyebrow at her actions, knowing she always played with her bracelet when she was nervous.

"Uh… no, everything's fine, actually. I was just getting out of hand, that's all." She said, laughing nervously. He sighed before saying, "See you tomorrow. Oh, and remember- I'm gonna take every word Danny says in consideration. I can tell if he's lying," He warned.

She just shook her head and left, closing the door behind her.

Tucker turned on his side, resting his hands under his head.

"Even though I know you're lying…" He whispered before falling asleep.

-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.

"Oh, Sammykins," Gregory called out to his fiancé, walking around the mansion. He knew she went to visit her best friend earlier that day, and by the scratches and bruises on her arms and face they were in a fight. He smiled as he spotted her shadow in the window. He walked over to the door and headed in, going up the stairs and headed towards her room. He reached her down and knocked on the door. "Sammy? You in there?" He said in a sing-song voice that had somewhat of a mocking tone to it.

Sam quickly put away the band-aids and peroxide and shoved them into the dresser. She fixed up her hair and nervously walked to the door. She slowly eased it opened. "Oh, hey, Gregory-"But before she could finish, he whispered, "No, no, we're together, now. I prefer you call me 'sweetheart', got it?"

Sam nodded and quietly whispered, "Hey, sweetheart. W-what brings you by?"

Gregory pushed his way into her room and stood there, while she sat on her bed. "I just wanna see my baby, that's all." He walked over and tried kissing her on the cheek, but she pushed away. "I don't want your fake love. You know something, don't you?" She hissed.

He just shrugged. "Eh… something like that, you could say." He grabbed her by her arms and kept a firm grip on her. Sam tried to break free, but he wouldn't let go. He pushed her face close to his. "I know you and Tucker had a fight today. And I know it was about something he said… something that had to do with me and… Danny, is it? Now, I have two questions…" He pushed her into a wall, causing her to cry out in pain. "One… what the hell did you tell him?!" He screamed, shooting a fireball at her. Unfortunately, he too was a firebender, just like her.

"_Why the hell aren't there any waterbenders around here?!" _Sam thought to herself, dodging the fire from hitting her.

"I said nothing!" She cried. Without thinking, she shot her own fireball at him, clashing her purple one with his natural orange one.

"That was one hell of a mistake, Samantha sweetie," He hissed. He pushed a line of fire with his feet towards her, the fire blazing bright in her room. Sam quickly jumped out of the way, the fire setting her curtains on fire. "Gregory, stop! I didn't do anything!" She cried again, as he tossed more fire beams at her. She counteracted the fire with her own shield, bouncing his fire back at him. He fell to the floor, shocked by the attack.

"Well, Sammy, it seems that you won't answer my first question, answer this second one- who the hell is Danny?"

Sam froze. "D-Danny? What about him?" She whispered.

"You know what. Why did you go see him? And who the hell is he?!" He shouted, shooting another fireball at her, this one more powerful.

Sam crashed into her opened closet and fell hard against the wall. She could still feel the pulsing pain in her back as she stood up again. "He's a child of my uncle Vlad! He's just lost and confused!" She defended, striking him with lightning. He screamed in pain as the energy pulsed through his body and fell to the floor.

"G-Gregory? I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"She was about to say, when Gregory grabbed her by her neck, practically strangling her. "You have no idea what the fuck you just did, do you?" He growled, pressing his fingers deeper into her skin. She let out a choked cough as she struggled free. "He's no threat to you! They forced me to marry your sorry ass, anyway!" She cried. She clutched his wrist and singed it, causing him to scream and let her go.

While he was preoccupied with his burnt wrist, Sam ran for it. She hurriedly unlocked her window and climbed over the ledge, when she was pulled back into her room.

"You're not getting away until I know- who. Is. Danny!?" He mumbled, clutching her by her shirt collar.

Sam let out a shaky sigh. "He's… my new best friend."

"And how did that happen?"

"Well… I met him while visiting Uncle Vlad earlier in the week. He was at first angry, then he calmed down and we talked for a while. I saw him again yesterday." She explained.

Gregory dropped her, causing her to fall to her knees. "Well, then… I suggest you never see him again." He said before leaving the room.

Suddenly, Sam pulled the door closed with a fire whip. "What do you mean 'never see him again?'" She mumbled, her eyes catching that hint of red again. Gregory noticed this, too and backed away a little. "I'm just saying… stay away from him, that's all," He said.

"No." She replied in a deep, dark voice. She locked the door and pulled him down to the floor. His forest green eyes were wide with shock when she charged up her fingers with lightning just like before. "Hey, c'mon Sammy, can we talk about this?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"Too late for that."

She was about to strike him dead in the chest, when her eyes returned back to normal. She fell to the ground.

Gregory stared up at her pale form, watching her hold her pulsing head in her hands. "S-Sam…?" He whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up, seeing his hand on her. She jerked away from him, shouting, "Get away from me!"

He merely stood up and left the room with a last glare. "You won't get away with this," He whispered before slamming the door.

Sam sat on the floor for a few more minutes before stumbling her way up to her mirror. She stared at her own reflection, unable to except what was happening to her. "What's wrong with me? I almost… killed him… just like with Tucker early and then… no…" She fell to her knees once again, a sob racked through her throat. "It's not possible…"

"What are these powers doing to me?" She whimpered, covering her face with her hands.

**Well, I can't believe I finished this in two days! :D It's not even noon, yet! XD I'm so proud of me. Anyway, in the next chapter, Danny's gonna meet Tucker, but he's still not trusting in at first. So, I'll post this on Wednesday when I get back to school tomorrow D: But, I'll have chapter 8 up by either Friday or Monday. See ya!**


	9. Chapter Eight: Final Chance

**Chapter Eight: Final Chance**

**Due to all my story files deleted themselves from my computer D:, I have to reread Chapter Eight, 'Checkmate', 'Powerless', songfics, 'Waiting to Exhale', yaoi stories (Vanilla Ice Cream and You Are Mine), and about a million other stories. Fortunately, most of them didn't last and most of them were lyrics I remember and can just copy and paste from the internet. Damn it, the laptop's being stupid DX. Now, I gotta start over. I'll have everything back by tomorrow. But this chapter's gonna have a bunch of fighting element scenes in it. Bear with me, since I haven't updated in 4 months. _ Also, the F-bomb is dropped… at least twice. ^^; So… just read, 'kay? XD Also review and enjoy! :D**

"C'mon, Tucker, hurry up!" Sam hissed as she pulled Tucker up the stairs. It was the day the Foleys were visiting Vlad for business reasons. As one of the nobles of Vlad's estate, Tucker's father was entitled to explain the recent business being done throughout the state and his palace.

"I'm coming, okay? I'm in no hurry," Tucker sighed, trying to pry away from her grip. But she continued to pull him inside. The adults were already assembled in the dining room. The only sound that could be heard from them was boring speech topics, such as the development of their company, and the clinking of fine china tea cups. They continued down the hallway towards Danny's room.

Both of them were silent as they walked along the narrow hallway. For a moment, only the sound of breathing and footsteps could be heard from either of them. Finally, Tucker spoke. "Uh, Sam… are you sure this guy is safe? I mean, the way you describe him, I really don't think we should trust him at all."

Sam heavily sighed and paused. She turned to him and said, "For the last time, Tucker, Danny isn't dangerous. If he was, would I even be taking you to him? Now, answer that."

He thought a moment before saying, "Well, it depends. Are you trying to get back at me for… oh, I don't know… the other day when you tried to kill me?" He recalled, still wincing from the pain in his chest when she attacked with her lightning.

Sam's frown dissipated from her face. She let out a tired sigh before saying, "Look, I'm really sorry, Tuck, but I don't know what came over me. I mean, ever since I was about… 3 years old, I would get angry and then… _that _just happens. Suddenly, I'd calm down and be okay. Someone else might not be, but…" She turned away. "Let's keep going."

They continued on before reaching a large, white door just down the hall from the pantry. "Alright, Tucker, this is where he should be," Sam whispered. She reached out for the brass doorknob before asking, "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

Tucker nodded. "Why not? He's not that dangerous, I bet." A sly smirk appeared on his face. She just shook her head, unaware that her friend was plotting something.

Sam turned the knob and slowly opened the door. She peered inside before she motioned Tucker to come in. They both eased their way into the room and glanced around. For a moment, all they could see where the white, blood-written walls, a filthy pillow along with a ragged blanket, a small dresser, a trash can filled with butterscotch wrappers, and a small window with thin blue curtains.

"Danny?" Sam called out, widening the door open even further. They walked around, searching for any signs of him. Tucker walked right up to the wall and placed his finger on it. He carefully read the sloppy, smudged writing that may have been done by someone who was left-handed. He slowly read a few lines of it:

_I've been to about 20 foster homes. Not one of them wanted me. Probably because I was useless. One after another they misused me, discarded me and hurt me._

"Hey, Sam? Did you actually read this?" Tucker called out to her. Sam walked over and followed her eyes to what he was pointing at. "Yeah, I did. Here, read around right… here." She moved her finger along the wall until she reached the part that led him to tell her the story.

_My first foster home has the kindest lady who ever lived. Her name was Alyssa Chapelton, but she preferred me to call her mother._

_Anyway, she would always care for me. She fed me, washed me, tended to me when I was sick, helped me with my schoolwork, even tucked me in at night._

_Yeah, she was a true angel from Heaven._

_But her husband, yes, her husband._

_He was a true bastard from Hell._

_Little did she know, but when she'd go out and run errands for only a little while, he'd stay and 'take care of me'. Then, behind closed doors, he did the most ruthless, vile and terrible things to me both physically and mentally that I can't even repeat them._

_Because of him, I am immune to pain._

_Because of him, I was afraid of everyone and everything that day._

_Because of him, I'm no longer 'clean', so to speak._

_Because of him, I never saw Alyssa again._

Tucker stared at the writing for a second, before turning back to her. "And you expect me to believe-"

"Damn it, Tucker, just keep reading, okay??" Sam said in frustration. He just shrugged. "Alright, but I'm telling you…"

_My God, the first man that I ever lived with whom I was to call 'father' because I loved Alyssa like my 'mother'…._

_That damn, no good bastard…. He did the unspeakable._

_He freakin' raped me._

_Yes, you heard it right._

_He did this to me._

_I died that day._

_I died inside…_

Tucker finally reached the end, where he almost had to bend all the way over to read it. The writing became thicker and thicker, until he could almost consider it as illiterate.

"Maybe… he's just a storyteller…" Tucker whispered, his voice betraying how he really felt. He stood up and stretched a bit before turning to her once more. "Well, Sam, either your little friend here is a master storyteller, or he's lying. I mean, who would admit to all that- on a white wall with blood? It's just not normal…"

Sam pushed him away. "It is for him! He has nothing, Tucker! He's never been loved except by his first mother- who died in a fire when he was a baby, if you're forgetting- and his first foster mother. Even that was screwed up by that bastard who raped him!" She cried out, stalking from the room. Suddenly, the door slammed from behind them. Tucker and Sam jumped a bit before shooting their heads in that direction.

Danny's hand was pressed against the door, forbidding their escape. A dark glare was glued perfectly on his face and his eyes had a reddish glint to their texture. If looks could kill, they'd already be dead, judging on his appearance.

But his eyes were directed at Tucker. He stared at him with his death glare, shooting pins and needles if he could, into the boy. Tucker just stared back, with a more casual, yet demanding glare on his face. Both boys stared into each other's eyes for a moment, waiting to see which one of them would make the first move.

Finally, Danny spoke, his voice dark and hoarse. "You wouldn't happen to be Gregory, would you?" He hissed venomously.

"No, I just so happen to be Tucker Foley, son of the Foley noblemen. And you wouldn't be Daniel, would you?" Tucker replied, this time in a mellow tone.

"Yes, I am. Daniel James… servant boy." Danny responded, his voice refusing to change tones.

They remained silent once again. Sam just stood in the background, waiting for one of them to make a move. Her amethyst went back and forth between Danny and Tucker. "Uh… guys…?" She managed to whisper.

Suddenly, the smirk that Tucker briefly had on his face returned once more. "Hey, Sam. How come you never told me how… weak and pathetic your friend here looks? I mean, one gust of wind and he's toast." He teased, not averting his eyes from Danny for one second.

That really got him. Danny's eyes widened in anger. He was about to lunge towards him, but Sam was fast enough to grab his arms just in time. She pinned them to his back the best way she could with his struggle. "I'll show you pathetic and weak, you bastard!" He cried out.

Sam glared at him as well. "Tucker! Stop pissing him off!" She shouted.

Tucker refused to stop there. His smirk grew as he said, "Why? If you ask me, he can't do much, so…" Before he could say anymore, he found himself pinned to the ground. Apparently, Sam lost her grip on Danny and he managed to attack.

"You really don't know what I can do, do you?" He spat out, his voice malicious and evil. He grabbed him by the neck and tried to strangle him when he was thrown into the air and landed on his back. For a second, Danny was surprised. He wasn't sure what happened… or how Tucker managed to attack him like that. "Unless…" He thought, thinking of what Vlad told him earlier about the benders of the country. 'There are four different benders- waterbenders just like you, only waterbenders are very rare here, firebenders, which are very common in this estate, earthbenders, who happen to be here or there sometimes, and air benders, whom we hardly ever see here.'

Maybe he was an earthbender…?

He noticed that he was no longer able to get up. His wrists were as though they were bolted to the ground. He tried to move them, but it was pointless. "Let me go!" He cried out, struggling to get free. Tucker stood in front of him, a smile plastered on his face. "Why don't you let yourself go? After all, you told me you weren't weak and pathetic…"

While he continued to struggle free without much success, Tucker shook his head in mock shame. "Oh, you poor boy. I knew you didn't have much potential…" He sighed and walked off. Just as he turned around to leave, he heard the sound of rocks exploding and flying everywhere. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Danny a few feet away. His eyes glared murderously at him, his fists balled tightly. "You have no idea what the hell you just did," He hissed.

"Oh, I know what I did…" As if on cue, Tucker bolted out of the room and down the hallway, laughing. With the anger swelled inside him, Danny let out a low growl and ran after him. Sam just shook her head tiredly and ran after the two.

They were a few feet apart, racing down the hallway and finally out the back door. They ran through the back yard, racing pass the forest of trees in their way.

"**I'll show you how pathetic I am!!" **Danny screamed, creating weak water whips in midair and tossing them at Tucker. Unfortunately, before they even got to him, they dissipated in midair. Tucker glanced over his shoulder, spotting the failed attempt Danny had with his waterbender. "You're a waterbender, huh? I always thought they were so strong, but I supposed you proved me wrong yet again." He tormented some more, before avoiding a slightly stronger water whip Danny aimed at him.

"You'll pay for that, you son of a bitch!" Danny cried out some more. With all the fallen branches and roots on the ground, it was difficult to maze his way through the woods.

Suddenly, they both stopped.

Sam paused a few feet behind them, wondering why they they suddenly stopped. "Wha-"She started, when she spotted them in a stand-off; neither of them moving. They eyes were locked with the same expression. It was a mystery at this point of who was the prey or the predator.

She watched to the side, deciding that they'd settle this on their own.

"You can't waterbend here, you poor pathetic soul. So… what's it gonna be, then?" Tucker finally said, readying a battle stance. Danny was about to do the same, when he remembered the day Master took him out to the lake to test his Waterbending abilities. His eyes flickered with excitement and future victory.

Without a word, Danny took off in the other direction. Tucker raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going and why he was running off.

"You're not getting away from me that easily," Tucker mumbled, taking off after him. Sam just watched the two run off once again, already ticked enough at the continuous 'workout' she was getting. She tiredly followed them towards the lake. "Can't either of you go 5 seconds without wanting to beat the crap out of each other?!" She called out.

Once again, they stopped, but this time the lake was blocking their path. Danny stared at the water wavering along with the breeze as he felt it energize him. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes and spread his arms out like an eagle. He calmly brought his hands back together and pressed them against each other. He sighed before he shot his eyes open and twisted his arms upward. The water followed his movements as he formed a giant tidal wave. Tucker's emerald green eyes followed his motions, mesmerized by his graceful form before remembering the water was being used as an attack. But before he could create a rock shield, the wave crashed into him full force. He let out a surprised cry as he collided with a nearby tree. Sam winced a bit, but kept her distance.

"Is that all you got?" Tucker hissed, struggling to pull himself to his feet. Danny crossed his arms over his chest in victory. A triumph smirk mingled on his lips when he called out, "Not even close. In fact, I don't think I even tried," A sour laugh escaped his throat.

The mockery and smug attitude Tucker held before was gone. It was replaced with anger and revenge. He stood with a battle stance as he said in a dark voice, "Don't think I'll go so easy on you, servant boy. I'll give you all I got."

He created a moving layer of tunneled rocks towards Danny. But surprisingly, Danny nimbly jumped out of the way just in time before the rocks collided with a still boulder. He landed on one hand and jumped back onto his feet. Both Sam and Tucker were surprised at his movements. "Wha…?" They both whispered in awe. It was almost as if Danny were some sort of skilled acrobat.

Danny stared at them with a genuine smile on his face. "What, you didn't think a lowly servant boy like me could do something that… skilled?" He asked.

Suddenly, he ran towards a tree on the opposite side of the garden, leaped up and grabbed a tree branch, flipped a few times around it and landed, with the help of a bit of gliding, on top of the water fountain without missing a beat. The two couldn't believe their eyes.

Danny really _was _something special.

Of course, Tucker had a feeling he'd use the water fountain as a source of energy. To his advantage, he ran towards the marble structure and pushed his hands forward. The fountain began to shake right under Danny. For a second, he was a little startled, but he jumped off and landed right in front of it. He pushed his own arms forward as the water shot into the sky and headed to Tucker. This time, he was prepared. He created a ramp and let the water slide right off the rock into the air. But that didn't stop Danny. He quickly took control of the water once more and twisted his hands back and forth, allowing the water to become tighter and shaped. He created a series of daggers and structured them sharp enough to directly aim at the target and rain down on him. Both shocked and somewhat afraid, Tucker feebly covered his head with his hands and fell to his knees. Unfortunately, a few of the daggers struck him in the arms, legs and hands. He cried out in pain, carefully pulling away the spikes. A few small holes that pierced his body began to bleed. He winced in pain, but refused to back down from the battle.

"Wow, Foley, I thought you were gonna 'give all you got'. But apparently, your best wasn't good enough…" Danny taunted before crossing his arms over his chest and turned to walk away. Tucker stared at him for a moment before screaming in anger. He slammed his heel in the ground and created a boulder large enough to break a few bones to the target. He aimed it perfectly at Danny's retreating form and pushed it forward. "Danny! Look out!!" Sam cried out, already thinking what the horrible impact would do.

Danny glanced around, but as soon as he did, his eyes widened. He was about to create an ice bridge to dodge it, but he was too late. The boulder collided with his body and he crashed into the ground. Tucker carefully lifted the rock from the boy's body and tossed it to the side. He watched as Sam ran to his side to check on his injuries. She gently caressed his hands in hers as she inspected his wounds. His face, arms and legs were scratched and bruised. Bits of dry blood and fresh blood stained his skin. His wrist was somewhat twisted as a sign of being sprained. He groaned in pain, carefully sitting himself up- with a bit of help from Sam.

"Danny, are you okay?" She asked softly, her eyes weary with worry. Danny coughed a little and unconsciously smiled at her. He brought his hand to her head, playing with her silky black hair in his hands. He finally opened his eyes and replied, "Yeah, I'm good. How's your buddy over there?" He pointed at Tucker, who remained silent during the entire conversation. He was holding his bleeding arm in his hands, biting his bottom lip. His emerald eyes weary stared back at them, both with remorse and sorrow. He opened his mouth to say something, but just as he did, a wave of weakness washed over him and he collapsed. Sam was about to rush to his aide as well, when she felt a hand grab her wrist. She glanced back at Danny, who had a sober expression on his face. "Take him to the bathroom. I'll be there shortly," He said without much of an explanation. She nodded slowly and ran over to her best friend. She gave Danny one last look before lifting Tucker's arm over her shoulder and carefully helping him towards the mansion.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Danny made his way to the bathroom, carefully using his flying and intangibility powers Vlad showed him a few days ago. He arrived there in one piece, but quickly regretted it when a sharp pain of agony ran through his chest. He hissed in pain and fell on the bathtub's rim. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for the pain to cease to a stop.

Almost immediately, the door opened. Sam was still assisting Tucker, but he can back into consciousness. She helped him adjust himself on the bathroom counter and quickly rummaged through the medicine cabinet. She took out some bandages, gauze, rubbing alcohol, ointment and a bag of cotton balls. She placed them on the counter and inspected each boy, trying to figure out which one had the most serious wounds. It was difficult to tell, considering the amount of damage the both unleashed on each other. She went to Danny and whispered, "I'm gonna try to see what I can fix, but it won't be easy." She warned, her eyes giving him a grim look. He just shrugged. "Hey, I'm alright. I can just heal myself," He leaned over the tub and turned the faucet on to cold water. He ran his hands over it for a few seconds before holding a handful of it and wrapping it around his wrist. With a blue glow, his wrist slowly healed and in a matter of minutes, it was back to normal.

"Waterbender, duh." He said, with a smirk. Sam and Tucker glanced at each other for a moment, before they shrugged and dropped the shock from their faces.

"I'll be right back. I gotta make sure they know we're not up to anything," Sam quickly said before darting out of the room.

The two boys remained silent for a while, averting their eyes from making any contact with the other.

"You know, I figured you were telling the truth about… everything." Tucker whispered softly, suddenly interested in the soap dish on the counter. Danny looked up at him. "What?" He asked, momentarily pausing from his healing session. "I-I mean… I have the power to tell if people are lying or not… and about your life…" Tucker took a deep breath before finishing, "You weren't lying."

Their eyes suddenly locked, where emerald green stared into washed-out baby blue. Finally, Danny whispered, "What you said before about me being weak and pathetic… was true. I couldn't even protect myself from that… monster 10 years ago…" He felt a tear slide down his cheek but quickly wiped it away before Tucker saw him crying. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. His expression changed from sober to saddened and guilty. He felt a tug at his heart… almost as though he knew how Danny felt. Of course, no one he knew could go through that much pain without already being dead.

Maybe Danny was stronger than he though.

Without hesitation, Tucker slid off the counter and walked in front of Danny. He rested a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled. Danny slowly looked up, his eyes now laden with tears.

"I know you've been though a hard time all your life… what with losing your family in a fire and all… but you're stronger than that. I know it took me a while to see this, but someday, you'll be able to prove it to yourself." Tucker said, his eyes twinkling as he smiled genuinely. Danny rubbed his eyes with his hand and gave him a watery smile back. Suddenly, he grabbed him and gave the teenager a heartfelt hug. Tucker was surprised by this sudden notion, but slowly patted his back. "Alright, enough of that before Ms. Know-it-all comes back," He chuckled lightly.

Danny quickly pulled away. He gave an embarrassed chuckle as his face turned bright red. "Sorry about that." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Tucker just raised his eyebrows and then, without warning, punched him in the arm.

"Hey! What the hell was that for??" Danny cried out, rubbing his arm angrily.

"That how I show affection. Oh, and don't worry I did the same to Sam… I'll never make that mistake again," Tucker explained laughing a bit. Danny's frown dissolved into a smile and he returned the favor with a punch of his own. They laughed for a little while until Sam came back. "So, I see you too are finally getting along now…" She said with a satisfied smirk. Tucker just shrugged. "Hey, I'm willing to give him a chance. So is he," Danny nodded in agreement.

Sam smiled and shook her head before exiting the room once more. "C'mon, they made us some sandwiches for lunch," She gestured towards the kitchen. The two smiled widely, realizing how hungry they were after the battle. As they left the room, Tucker leaned over and whispered in Danny's ear, "I still don't really trust you…"

Danny chuckled and replied, "Neither do I… and this time I'm talking about you."

They shared another laugh and followed Sam to soothe their empty stomachs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Daniel! I need to have a word with you… now." Vlad called from the dining room, his voice solid and dark.

Danny walked in with a broom in his hands, once again dressed in his rags. His eyes stared fearfully at Vlad, who was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in his hands. "Yes, Master?" He asked softly. Vlad sat down his teacup and rose from the table. He walked over to Danny, towering over him for a moment. Suddenly, Vlad's hand struck his hand across Danny's face, receiving a pained cry from him. Tears came to his eyes as his cheek pounded painfully. He placed a shaky hand on his cheek tenderly. "W-what did I do, Master?" He asked sorrowfully. Vlad's lips twisted into a hatred frown. He kneeled down to Danny's height and grabbed him by his wrists. He pulled him so close that they were inches away from each others' faces. "You know damn _well _what the hell you did!" He growled. He let go of his left wrist and punched him in the stomach. He jolted forward, squeezing his eyes shut. Vlad grabbed him by his shoulder and pinned him to the wall. Danny winced in pain, knowing the outcome of the beating tonight.

"How _dare _you battle the Nobleman's son?! What the hell is wrong with you??! WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING?!?" Vlad screamed, anger consuming him even more.

Danny remained silent, his eyes avoiding any connection to Vlad's.

"ANSWER ME, DANIEL! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?" He bellowed. His eyes were burning with both hatred and… how did they become a pupil less shade of crimson?

"I-I'm sorry, M-Master! I-it was just t-that… he t-t-old me some things and… I-I just.. snapped." Danny quietly said.

Vlad stared at him for a moment before letting him go. Danny slid to the floor and tried to cower in the corner. He was already afraid of the dangers awaiting him that came from Vlad's anger. He took a deep breath before asking, "You mean to tell me that he insulted you and you snapped?"

Danny nodded.

"And you expect me to believe that?" He grabbed Danny once more, this time slamming the side of his face into the wall. "Do you expect me to believe that fucking lie? Do you really??" He cackled, a crazed glare in his eyes. Danny squeezed his eyes shut. Master never used this kind of language on him before. He never really yelled at him like this, either.

This wasn't gonna be fun.

**SOOOOOOO Sorry I had to cut this chapter short. They're taking our laptops today and I can't transfer my documents to my old-ass computer. :( So I'll finish this in chapter nine over summer break. I'll finish the story…. Before I graduate XD. This chapter was crap, I know and you don't have to tell me this. But… read and review- positively, please! :D **


	10. Author's Note

Guys, I regret to inform you that I will not be continuing this story. It's been well over a year and so many things have come up.

I will, however, rewrite the entire thing, changing up the story line quite a bit. Yes, Vlad will still be ruler of his own kingdom, Danny (or Daniel) is still his slave, they still have supernatural powers (probably more specifically, ghost powers), Danny does get raped by his former foster father, he meets Sam, falls in love with her later on, and blah blah war outbreak blah. He meets Tucker, of course. It'll be much different than this and the rating will go up to M.

I reread it and completely hate how I wrote it from the beginning. Yeah, I think this story sucks ass. Also…I've moved onto a new fandom….

Yeah, I'm not into DP as much as I used to be. I still love it, but I do like South Park now..

I'll start the rewriting probably during my winter break starting this week.

Thanks for the support guys!


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